Glossary

oesophagus – part of the gut between the throat and the stomach.

neutropenia – very low amount of neutrophils (neutrophils are white blood cells that fight bacterial infections).

Hypotension is the medical name for low blood pressure.

Blood pressure is measured as two numbers ie 120/80. The first number is systolic BP – the pressure when your heart beats. The second number is diastolic BP, which is the pressure when you heart rests between beats.

Target range for BP is usually 120/80.

See: hypertension (high blood pressure).

T-cell – a type of white blood cell (lymphocyte) that are part of the immune system and that mature in the thymus (T). CD4 cells are also called T-cells.

microbicide – a gel that may protect against infection.In reference to HIV, this is usually referring to a gel that could be applied before sex. In 2010 a study called Caprisa 004 provided the first evidence that a microbicide (in this case a gel containing the HIV drug tenofovir) might protect against HIV infection.