Sepsis and HIV/AIDS
What Treatment Is Available for HIV and AIDS?
Currently, there is no cure for HIV or AIDS. While many people can live a long time with HIV, particularly if they receive treatment, once they develop AIDS, there isn’t much that can be done other than treat the infections and diseases that they experience.
When someone is diagnosed with HIV, blood tests are done on a regular basis to see how far the infection is progressing. As long as the blood levels stay healthy and the CD4 levels are high enough, there is usually not much to be done. However, once the CD4 levels begin to drop, treatment with anti-retrovirals may begin in what is called highly active anti-retroviral therapy, or HAART.
These medications are very powerful and can have strong, undesirable side effects. So, the doctors must carefully balance the dosages – enough to help fight the HIV progress but not enough that you experience bad effects.
Not all treatments help everyone, so if one treatment doesn’t seem to be helping, you will likely be offered other options. This trial-and-error approach isn’t uncommon in medicine because everyone responds differently to medications.
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