Glossary

virus – an infectious organism that can only reproduce inside the cell of another plant or animal.

coronary heart disease (CHD) refers to the three main arteries that supply blood from the heart.

A coronary by-pass is a surgical operation to provide a new route for blood to reach the heart when coronary arteries become blocked.

CD8 cell – cell (lymphocyte) in your immune system that kills cells infected with HIV.

late breaker – in research, this is a study presented at a medical meeting that was submitted to the conference organisers after the main programme had been decided. There are usually only a few dozen late-breakers, where the last minute results are thought important enough to include – like ‘late-breaking news’. Although this studies often contain the most exciting news, they are given much less time to present their results – maybe less than 10 minutes compared to a normal 15 or 20 minute session. These summary results are also difficult to verify because they include fewer slides and fewer details.

multi-disciplinary – a team approach to care, involving several different professionals.