haematology – study (-ology) of blood (haema-)
Glossary
Selected words and phrases
mean (average) – where all the results are added together, and then divided by the number of results to find the (mean) average. See median.
surrogate marker – A surrogate marker is when something that is easy to measure is used as a marker for something that is difficult to measure directly.
The CD4 count doesn’t directly measure HIV. But it is a good surrogate (or indirect) marker for how HIV has damaged your immune system. It is closely linked to the risk of HIV-related complications.
Viral load in blood is a good surrogate marker for levels of HIV in your body overall including in other body sites.
severity – a measure of how bad something is.
latent – not active at present, resting. Latently infected CD4 cells are CD4 cells that are infected with HIV but which are resting. HIV drugs do not work on resting cells.