chronic – long-term.
Glossary
Selected words and phrases
platelet – a blood cell that helps with blood clotting.
CCR5 inhibitor – type of HIV drug (an entry inhibitor) that blocks HIV from getting into a CD4 cell. CCR5 is a co-receptor on the surface of a CD4 cell that HIV uses to attach itself to the cell. CCR5 inhibitors block that process. Maraviroc is currently the only approved CCR5 inhibitor.
specificity – when referring to the accuracy of a test result, specificity refers to the proportion of people who do not have an illness or disease who have a negative test result.
If a test has low specificity, the concern is over false-positive results – where people who to not have a condition are wrongly diagnosed as having it.
If a test has high specificity, then people who to not have a condition are correctly ruled out from the condition.
For a serious condition, high specificity is essential to prevent people being unnecessarily treated.
See sensitivity.
recency HIV test – this is a type of HIV test that can indicate whether you recemtly became HIV positive. This is defined as being the last six months.
It is sometimes called a detuned or RITA test (Recent Infection Treatment Algorithm). In the UK, this test is used to be called STARHS (Serological Testing Algorithm for Recent HIV Seroconversion).
It is also sometimes called a de-tuned or recency HIV test.
See this Q&A on RITA testing.