How HIV affects the organism

HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system, a defense composed of thousands of cells that combat infections and disease. The most important of these cells is known as CD4.

When HIV infects the organism, it attacks CD4 cells by infiltrating them with its genetic code. This effectively “programs” infected CD4 cells to reproduce copies of the virus. These new copies then leave the CD4 cells and spread throughout the blood stream infecting and destroying other CD4 cells. As these cells are attacked and destroyed by HIV, the immune system becomes less effective in combating infection and disease.

Without treatment, CD4 cell count falls, compromising the immune system’s ability to fend off infections and cancers. These infections are known as opportunistic infections (IOs). Once the immune system is seriously weakened or compromised, IOs occur and HIV infection develops into AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome).

 

Anti-HIV drug classes

A cocktail of medications is used to reduce the viral charge in the bloodstream. They help block or inhibit certain stages in the process of viral replication. There are four different classes of anti-HIV medication:

Nucleoside (or nucleotide) reverse transcriptase inhibitors, or “Nucs”.
Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, or “non-Nucs”
Protease inhibitors, or “PIs”.
Fusion inhibitors, also known as entry inhibitors.

It is essential that the patient follow the treatment and doctor’s instructions to the letter, because the therapeutic efficacy depends on this.

Today, HIV+ life-expectancy and quality of life have improved considerably. Thanks to the discovery of new drugs and the expertise of health professionals the virus can now be controlled in the majority of patients.

United Medical and treatments against HIV

United Medical consultants provide doctors with one of the most advanced medications for treating HIV. As the fruit of recent scientific advances, it would normally take years for this medication to be made available in Brazil. HIV positive patients cannot afford to wait. That is why we are committed to finding new solutions capable of bridging the gap between the research lab and the hospital bedside. We are united behind a single aim: to equip health professionals who save and prolong lives with the most advanced therapies science has to offer.