HIV

Question 1

What are the Three stages of HIV infection:

Answer 1

Acute HIV: flu-like symptoms
that occur days to weeks after
contracting HIV.
* Chronic HIV: latent and
asymptomatic stage, it can last
several years.
* AIDS: occurs when CD4 cell
count falls below 200 cell/mm3
à patients vulnerable to
opportunistic infections and AIDSdefining conditions.

If HIV infection is not treated, the median time from infection to the development
of AIDS is 8-10 years. HIV infection needs to be treated.

Question 2

What are the advantages of combination therapy over mono therapy

Answer 2

Advantages over monotherapy:
* Delays or prevents the development of drug resistance
* Strengthens the potency of the antiviral effect of the single agents (synergistic effect)
* Reduces the dose of single drugs à reduced toxicity
* Reduces pill burden (HIV) or shorten the treatment (HCV), improving adherence
* Broadens the spectrum of antiviral coverage (HCV only, pan-genotypic effect)

Question 3

What are the goals of HAART therapy?

Answer 3

Goals of HAART in HIV patients:
* Reduce plasma viral RNA to an
undetectable level
* Improve the immune system functions
* Prevent or reduce drug resistance
* Reduce morbidity and mortality
* Improve quality of life
* Prevent HIV transmission

HAART does not cure HIV infection (cannot eradicate/clear the virus from an individual),
due to the establishment of long-lived HIV reservoirs.

Question 4

what are the goals of DAAs combination therapy?

Answer 4

• Eradicate the virus (cure)
• Prevent emergence of drug resistance
• Reduce risk of all-cause mortality
• Broaden the spectrum of
  antiviral coverage
• Shorten the treatment,
  improving adherence
• Improve quality of life
• Prevent HCV transmission