Techniques

While there currently is no cure for AIDS, there's nevertheless lots of management techniques in place. Treatment will normally consist of 'highly active antiretroviral therapy' which is taken as a combination of or more drugs which are of particular classes of antiretroviral agent. Therapy ought to be begun as soon as feasible & at the point where the CD4 count falls below 500. When therapy is deferred death rates are two times as high. However these therapies are lifelong commitments & have a range of risks & benefits. If treatment is stopped even temporarily then high levels of HIV-1 often return & are at this point then HAART resistance � so adherence to the medication is highly important. If treatment is started by the time that the CD4 count falls below 350 then the life expectancy is 32 years, though this is higher for those who start earlier. Without HAART, HIV will progress to AIDS after around 9-10 years & at this point life expectancy is only 9.2 months.