Glossary

steatosis – fatty liver. Build up of fat in the liver. Steatosis worsens liver damage and makes hepatitis C harder to treat.

combination therapy – using three or more drugs together to treat HIV. It is also called triple therapy, cART (combination antiretroviral therapy)  or HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy).

ascites – an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, a sign of serious liver damage in people with hepatitis C.

confirmatory test – a second test to double-check the results of a previous one. For example, if your viral load is usually undetectable and then becomes detectable, you need a second confirmatory test. This is to check that the detectable result was not a laboratory error on just a temporary blip.

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).