Glossary

weight loss – a general reduction in weight. Weight loss can often be a symptom of other opportunistic infections.

Weight loss and wasting section of the training manual.

febrile – medical word relating to fever

STARHS – this is a type of HIV test that can indicate whether you are likely to have been infected within the last six months. STARHS stands for Serological Testing Algorithm for Recent HIV Seroconversion. In the UK this test is now called RITA (Recent Infection Treatment Algorithm).

malaria – a parasite infection of red blood cells.

bile duct – a tube that carries bile from the liver to the gallbladder and then to the small intestine biopsy: taking a small sample of body tissue for examination and testing in the laboratory