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Learn More Information about Antiretroviral Therapy
<a herf="http://www.antiretroviraltherapy.org/">Antiretroviral therapy</a>, or Art, has been a tremendous benefit to HIV patients. Because of Art, fewer people are progressing from HIV to AIDS. As a result, they're living longer, healthier lives. The key, of course, is staying with the therapy regimen and taking the medicines as scheduled, on time, as prescribed by a doctor. This is called the adherence to antiretroviral therapy, and is an important thing to consider when examining the rate in which HIV patients progress to AIDS. Are they sticking with it or not? It's the second leading predictor of progression from HIV to AIDS-only CD4 cell count is a better one. While long-term progression to AIDS requires close to 100% Art adherence, current calculations put the average Art adherence rate at 70%, which isn't even close to where it should be for long-term survival.
As stated before, more than 95% adherence is needed for long-term viral suppression. In order to achieve this level of Art adherence, an HIV-positive patient must take the daily treatment regimen and not miss or delay a dose more than 3 times in a month. This level of adherence is far greater than those of other chronic diseases and is much more difficult to maintain. Patients have to be meticulous about taking their medicine.
What are the consequences of non-adherence? Well, they seem fairly straightforward-more HIV-positive patients will progress to AIDS status. But there are predictors that indicate whether or not a patient will be successful with Art adherence. The basic patient variables such as age, gender, and other socioeconomic factors the complexity of the treatment regimen itself whether or not the patient has HIV-opportunistic infections already the patient-provider relationship and the trust issue between the two in fact, even the clinical setting itself is a predictor. All of these can be used to predict whether or not Art adherence will be high enough to keep the HIV viral load at a low enough level.
In order to keep the antiretroviral therapy adherence high, both the patient and the provider must be diligent in their own way. The patient must be diligent in staying with the program set forth and continue with the medication prescribed in a timely manner in order to keep the viral load down and ensure long-term success in suppressing the HIV from progressing to AIDS status. On the other hand, some level of supervision from the provider is needed to keep the patient on track. Monitor the success, monitor the level of medication, and ask the tough questions if a dosage is missed. By working together, both the patient and the provider can raise the level of antiretroviral therapy adherence to a high level and ensure the long term survival and AIDS suppression in the HIV-positive patient. More Articles at http://www.antiretroviraltherapy.org/
Learn More Information about Antiretroviral Therapy
<a herf="http://www.antiretroviraltherapy.org/">Antiretroviral therapy</a>, or Art, has been a tremendous benefit to HIV patients. Because of Art, fewer people are progressing from HIV to AIDS. As a result, they're living longer, healthier lives. The key, of course, is staying with the therapy regimen and taking the medicines as scheduled, on time, as prescribed by a doctor. This is called the adherence to antiretroviral therapy, and is an important thing to consider when examining the rate in which HIV patients progress to AIDS. Are they sticking with it or not? It's the second leading predictor of progression from HIV to AIDS-only CD4 cell count is a better one. While long-term progression to AIDS requires close to 100% Art adherence, current calculations put the average Art adherence rate at 70%, which isn't even close to where it should be for long-term survival.
As stated before, more than 95% adherence is needed for long-term viral suppression. In order to achieve this level of Art adherence, an HIV-positive patient must take the daily treatment regimen and not miss or delay a dose more than 3 times in a month. This level of adherence is far greater than those of other chronic diseases and is much more difficult to maintain. Patients have to be meticulous about taking their medicine.
What are the consequences of non-adherence? Well, they seem fairly straightforward-more HIV-positive patients will progress to AIDS status. But there are predictors that indicate whether or not a patient will be successful with Art adherence. The basic patient variables such as age, gender, and other socioeconomic factors the complexity of the treatment regimen itself whether or not the patient has HIV-opportunistic infections already the patient-provider relationship and the trust issue between the two in fact, even the clinical setting itself is a predictor. All of these can be used to predict whether or not Art adherence will be high enough to keep the HIV viral load at a low enough level.
In order to keep the antiretroviral therapy adherence high, both the patient and the provider must be diligent in their own way. The patient must be diligent in staying with the program set forth and continue with the medication prescribed in a timely manner in order to keep the viral load down and ensure long-term success in suppressing the HIV from progressing to AIDS status. On the other hand, some level of supervision from the provider is needed to keep the patient on track. Monitor the success, monitor the level of medication, and ask the tough questions if a dosage is missed. By working together, both the patient and the provider can raise the level of antiretroviral therapy adherence to a high level and ensure the long term survival and AIDS suppression in the HIV-positive patient. More Articles at http://www.antiretroviraltherapy.org/