Glossary

type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) – an illness that usually affect adults (previously called adult-onset diabetes), when glucose levels increase because the body does not produce enough insulin or does not respond well to insulin.

PCR (polymerase chain reaction) –  type of viral load test.

phenotype test – a type of drug resistance that tests whether a drug is sensitive or resistance to a sample of HIV.

trimester – a 12 week period of a pregnancy. Different periods during pregnancy are commonly referred to as the first, second and third trimester.

CD4% – percentage of total lymphocytes (white blood cells) that are CD4 cells.

The CD4% is generally more stable than the CD4 count. For example, if you ever get a CD4 count that is much lower than you expect, first see whether the CD4% has changed too,

If the CD4% is still roughly the same then the low CD4 count is unlikely to show a real change.