One of the reasons that HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is so dangerous is because it attacks the body’s own immune system. As the virus replicates, it attacks immune cells that help the body fight off illnesses.
Today’s HIV medications can prevent and reduce this damage to the immune system. The medicine used to treat HIV is called antiretroviral therapy, or ART.
Stella A. Safo, MD, MPH, is an HIV primary care physician and assistant professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital.
References
HIV.gov. (2022). HIV treatment overview.
HIV.gov. (2023). Viral suppression and an undetectable viral load.
Justiz Vaillant, A. A., et al. (2022). HIV and AIDS syndrome. StatPearls.
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Written by:
Lauren Smith, MALauren Smith, MA, has worked in health journalism since 2017. Before joining GoodRx, she was the senior health editor and writer for HealthiNation.
Reviewed by:
Brian Clista, MDDr. Clista is a board-certified pediatrician who works in private practice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He previously served as a National Health Service Corporation Scholar in the inner city of Pittsburgh for 11 years.
