Antiretroviral
Antiretroviral
Antiretroviral (pronunciation: an·ti·re·tro·vi·ral) is a type of medication used to manage HIV and prevent its progression into AIDS. The term is derived from the Latin prefix anti- meaning against, and retrovirus, a type of virus that uses RNA as its genetic material.
Etymology
The term "antiretroviral" is a combination of two words. The prefix "anti-" comes from the Latin anti meaning against or opposed to. The word "retroviral" is derived from retrovirus, a type of virus that replicates its RNA into DNA and integrates it into the host cell's genome. Thus, "antiretroviral" essentially means against retroviruses.
Usage
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) involves the use of a combination of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to suppress the HIV virus and stop the progression of the disease. These drugs do not kill or cure the virus. However, when taken in combination they can prevent the growth of the virus. When the HIV virus is slowed down, so is the progression of the disease.
Types of Antiretroviral Drugs
There are several types of antiretroviral drugs, each of which has a different way of attacking the virus:
- Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs)
- Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs)
- Protease Inhibitors (PIs)
- Fusion Inhibitors
- CCR5 Antagonists (also known as Entry Inhibitors)
- Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitors (INSTIs)
Related Terms
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Antiretroviral
- Wikipedia's article - Antiretroviral
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