Glossary

lymph node – small bodies in the lymphatic system, particularly at the neck, armpit, and groin, that filter bacteria and foreign particles. During infection, lymph nodes may become swollen with white blood cells (lymphocytes) fighting the infection.

nuke – a common term for NRTI

Minimum Effective Concentration (MEC) – the lower level of a drug in the body that will still be effective.

What happens when you take a drug?

ETR (end of treatment response) – having an undetectable HCV viral load at the end of HCV treatment. See SVR.

integrase inhibitor – a type of HIV drug that stops HIV genetic material from ‘integrating’ into the DNA in a cell.

This is a relatively new family of HIV drugs.

Raltegravir, elvitegravir and dolutegravir are all integrase inhibitors.