HIV Care in San Francisco | OSRA Medical
HIV Care Protocols
One of the most prevalent infections, HIV, is easier to control than eliminate, and our staff ensures that timely medication is granted. Following are some of the protocols of HIV care.
Antiretroviral Therapy
Antiretroviral therapy consists of a combination of drugs prescribed to the patients. A patient has to take the medicines regularly. ART cannot eradicate the viral infection from the body, but it can control it. HIV tends to destroy the body’s immune cells. The higher viral content in the body continues to damage the immune system and does not give it the liberty of recovery. Therefore the chances are that the immune system may degrade and become unable to withstand the impacts of the virus.
ART prevents the proliferation of viral particles. It reduces the viral load in the body and allows the immune system to regain its strength.
As the immune cells are regenerated, the viral load decreases. In case of negligible viral load, the test results indicate a reduced level of infection. It is due to the ability of the immune system and the recovery periods provided to it that the HIV symptoms alleviate. ART ensures that the viral load decreases after a few months of treatment initiation.
Regulating The Viral Load
It is mandatory to monitor the viral load in blood. Through regular checking of the load, the physicians can either enhance the therapeutic measures or downscale them. The decrease in viral load enables the patients to lead normal healthy lives.
HIV Care Drugs
There are multiple types of drugs used in HIV treatments. Following are some of them.
Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcription Inhibitors
Also known as NNRTIs, they prevent the production of proteins. These proteins are required by HIV for proliferation. Examples are Sustiva and Edurant.
Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors.
NRTIs prevent the production of HIV RNA. Without the building block of RNA, the survival of HIV becomes difficult. Examples are Viread and Emtriva.
Tackling HIV Complications
Patients suffering from additional disorders such as diabetes and hypertension may exhibit complications during the treatment. Such patients require a well-structured plan. The physicians formulate the treatment strategies and ensure that the patient shows progress.