EDUCATION

There are different ways to treat HIV. It depends on the person's health and how severe the infection is and the person's health. The goals of treatment are to:

  • Lower the amount of the virus in the body
  • Keep the immune system as healthy as possible
  • Prevent other infections and cancers

If the person has other infections or cancers, they will need to be treated as well.

HIV treatment includes:

Medications
Lifestyle changes
Other treatments
Alternative and complementary treatments
REFERENCES:

.HIV/AIDS clinical guidelines. Clinical Info.gov website. Available at: https://clinicalinfo.hiv.gov/en/guidelines. Accessed November 10, 2021.

HIV treatment. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/livingwithhiv/treatment.html. Accessed November 10, 2021.

Overview of HIV infection. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/condition/overview-of-hiv-infection. Accessed November 10, 2021.

Sexually transmitted infections treatment guidelines 2021. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines. Accessed November 10, 2021.

Last reviewed November 2021 by EBSCO Medical Review Board David L. Horn, MD, FACP  Last Updated: 11/11/2021