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.

diagnosis – identifying the cause of an illness.

primary mutation – see major mutation.

wild-type virus – HIV that has no drug resistance mutations.

This is usually the virus that you were first infected with. However, approximately 10% of people who are diagnosed with HIV in the UK are likely to already have resistance to one or more HIV drugs.

This is called transmitted drug resistance. This is also why everyone diagnosed with HIV should also have a resistance tests.

Rates of transmitted drug resistance vary in different countries.

antioxidant – a substance that reduces oxidative damage (damage due to oxygen) such as that caused by ‘free radicals’