HIV Treatment Singapore | HIV PEP
HIV Treatment in Singapore: HIV is a viral infection that weakens the immune system and makes you unable to combat other infections. HIV is commonly caused by unprotected sex.
Treatment of HIV
Although, there is no cure for HIV or AIDS, the infection can be kept under control for many years by taking a combination of medications (called anti-retroviral drugs). These anti-HIV medications are used in combinations of at least three different drugs from two different classes to prevent drug resistance in the HIV virus. Available medications include:
- Protease inhibitors – a class of medication that prevents HIV multiplication. Examples: darunavir, ritonavir, and atazanavir.
- Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) – These medications interfere with HIV replication by interrupting DNA synthesis. Example: abacavir.
- Integrase inhibitors – a class of medications that prevents HIV interaction with body’s immune system. Example: raltegravir
- Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors – a drug that prevents HIV replication. Example: nevirapine
- Fusion inhibitors – a class of medication that blocks HIV entry into the immune system cells (CD4 cells). Example: maraviroc
If left untreated, HIV infection impairs your immune system, and you are at risk of developing serious infections such as cytomegalovirus infection, tuberculosis, salmonellosis, cryptosporidiosis, candidiasis, toxoplasmosis and cryptococcal meningitis. Untreated HIV infection can also cause certain cancers, including lymphoma and kaposi’s sarcoma. Some of the other complications of untreated HIV infection are kidney disease (nephropathy), wasting syndrome (extreme weight loss) and neurological complications.