October 2009

lactic acidosis – dangerous build up of lactate in the blood.

lactate – waste product produced when sugar is turned into energy by the body.

IM (intra-muscular) – injecting into a muscle. See IV (intravenous) and SC (sub-cutaneous).

SC (sub-cutaneous) – under the skin. See IV (intravenous) and IM (intra-muscular).

IV (intravenous) – injecting into a vein. See SC (sub-cutaneous) and IM (intra-muscular).

IRIS (immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome) – illnesses that occur when HIV treatment is started when the CD4 count is very low. IRIS occurs because the immune system quickly becomes stronger and identifies infections that it was previously too weak to fight. …

IQR (inter-quartile range) – when using (median) average, the IQR gives an indication of the spread or range of results. Each quartile (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th) represents 25% of the results. The IQR represents the middle 50% of the …

internal fetal labour monitoring – where an electrode is inserted through the vagina and placed on the baby’s scalp to record the baby’s heart rate during labour.

interferon – see pegylated interferon.

interaction – when two drugs react to increase or decrease one or both drugs, often in ways that are unexpected or potentially harmful.

intent-to-treat analysis (ITT) and on-treatment analysis (OT) – two important ways that trial results are analysed. ITT includes all patients who entered the study and is more rigorous. OT only calculates the response rates for people still on the randomised …

insulin – a hormone that helps the body turn sugar into energy. Low insulin sensitivity is when the body uses insulin less well than usual (this is also called insulin resistance).

inhibition (in the liver) – refers to the body processing a drug more slowly by inhibiting (or reducing) the enzymes that clear the drug. This leads to higher drug levels.

induction (in the liver) – refers to the body processing a drug more quickly by inducing (or increasing) more of the enzymes that clear the drug. This leads to lower drug levels.

in-vivo – a study carried out in humans.

in vitro – a study in a test tube. Literally, ‘in glass’.

immune system – the system that your body uses to fight infections.

HIV PCR DNA test – a test that looks for HIV DNA (called integrated HIV) in blood. This is similar to viral load test which usually test for HIV RNA.

Hickman line – a fixed central line that is used to deliver IV drugs close to where they are needed in the body.

HHV-8 – Human Herpes Virus-8. The virus associated with Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS). Also called Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV).