viral load – the amount of virus in a sample of blood or other fluid. With HIV this is commonly the amount of HIV in a millilitre (mL) of blood. See viral load test.
Glossary
Selected words and phrases
iPrEP (intermittent Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) – using HIV drugs to before a possible exposure to HIV, to reduce the chance of infection. iPrEP refers to taking a reducing dosing shecdule based on when you are likely to be exposed. PrEP usually refers to a daily treatment.
NRTI – Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor, a type of HIV drug – also called ‘nuke’ or ‘nucleoside analogue’.
3TC (lamivudine). abacavir, AZT, FTC (emtricitabine), d4T (stavudine), ddI (didanosine) all belong to this class.
Tenofovir DF and tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) are a nucleotide analogues which is similar enough to be counted as part of this class.
Fibroscan – a non-invasive ultrasound scan that measures the ‘elasticity’ or stiffness of the liver.
platelet – a blood cell that helps with blood clotting.