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highly active antiretroviral therapy

highly active antiretroviral therapy

4.9
A treatment for HIV that uses several medicines to lower the amount of virus in the body
  • noun
  • /ˈhaɪli ˈæktɪv ˌæntiˌrɛtroˈvaɪrəl ˈθɛrəpi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : terapia antirretroviral altamente activa
  • Within a decade after that, these cocktails of three or four antiretroviral drugs, known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), had dramatically reduced mortality from HIV.
  • highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)

Examples

  • Adherence to a highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimen is one of the most challenging issues facing patients with HIV and their providers.

    Blog text (4)
  • Participation in primary care is crucial to preventing the negative sequelae of HIV, as well as for health care providers to offer treatment via highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for HIV-infected patients (Lohse et al., 2006).

    Academic text (2009)
  • Expanding access to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is changing the landscape of childbearing decision-making for people living with HIV.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Although highly effective AIDS drugs have been discovered in the past decade (often administered as a drug cocktail called HAART, or highly active antiretroviral therapy), their cost has made widespread availability and use unlikely and has provoked a vitriolic debate over who should pay for them.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Adherence to a highly active antiretroviral therapy regimen is essential for managing HIV effectively.

  • Expanding access to highly active antiretroviral therapy has improved health outcomes for many individuals living with HIV.

  • Patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy often experience a significant reduction in viral load.

Synonyms

drug cocktail
vshighly active antiretroviral therapy
  • Specialized
2 4.1

A mix of medicines used together to treat diseases like HIV

is the specific clinical combination of antiretroviral classes for HIV
HAART
vshighly active antiretroviral therapy
  • Specialized
1 4.7

A combination of medicines doctors use to treat HIV infection

is the full formal phrase rather than the abbreviation

How Intensive

highly active antiretroviral therapy
  • Specialized
4.9
co-administration
  • Specialized
4.6
monotherapy
  • Specialized
1 6.7
nontreatment
  • Specialized
7.8

Surface Forms

Morphology

highly + active + antiretroviral + therapy

The phrase is directly compositional: 'highly' (very) + 'active' (effective) + 'antiretroviral' (against retroviruses) + 'therapy' (treatment) yields a meaning of a very effective treatment using antiretroviral drugs. While the definition adds technical detail about specific drug classes and combinations, a learner who knows each constituent can infer the core meaning (a strong treatment for retroviral infections such as HIV).

Etymology

Highly active antiretroviral therapy paints a picture of a strong team of medicines working together to fight the virus. The words highly active mean 'very strong', antiretroviral means 'against the virus', and therapy means 'treatment', so the name shows it is a powerful combination of drugs that lowers the virus in the body.