Table of Contents
- 1 What advice would you give to someone living with HIV?
- 2 How can you stay healthy when living with HIV and keep others around them healthy?
- 3 Which is usually the most important consideration in the decision to initiate antiretroviral therapy?
- 4 What is the first-line regimen in SA?
- 5 WHO recommended PEP regimen?
- 6 What is second-line treatment?
- 7 Is PEP recommended?
What advice would you give to someone living with HIV?
Taking care of people living with HIV/AIDS
- The body needs extra rest.
- Try not to worry too much.
- Be kind to yourself.
- Take light exercise.
- Find support and get good advice.
- Ask for help and accept help when it is offered.
- Stop smoking.
- Alcohol is harmful to the body, especially the liver.
How can you stay healthy when living with HIV and keep others around them healthy?
Start by:
- Eating a more nutritious diet. This can:
- Quitting smoking.
- Stopping illicit drug use.
- Getting moderate exercise.
- Practicing safer sex.
- Getting tested and treated for sexually transmitted diseases.
- Taking your medications as prescribed and visiting your doctor often.
- Taking steps to prevent infections.
What is the most important teaching component for patients taking medications for HIV?
An essential part of effective HIV treatment is medication adherence. Medication adherence means sticking to an HIV treatment regimen—taking HIV medicines every day and exactly as prescribed.
[17,18] Regardless of CD4 cell count, the decision to initiate ART should always include consideration of any co-morbid conditions, the willingness and readiness of the patient to initiate therapy, and the availability of resources.
What is the first-line regimen in SA?
The preferred first-line regimens are (see Table 4): TDF + emtricitabine (FTC) (or 3TC) + efavirenz (EFV) or. TDF + emtricitabine (FTC) (or 3TC) + dolutegravir (DTG) or. TDF + emtricitabine (FTC) (or 3TC) + rilpivirine (RPV) provided VL < 100 000 copies/mL.
What is the first-line antiretroviral therapy currently prescribed in South Africa?
The WHO guidelines currently recommend efavirenz-based first-line ART, with EFV 600 mg as the preferred option and EFV 400 mg as an alternative option. EFV 600 mg is available in public sector programmes in most countries in southern Africa.
WHO recommended PEP regimen?
The following is recommended by CDC for PEP: TDF (300 mg), FTC (200 mg) once daily, RAL 400 mg twice daily or dolutegravir (DTG) 50 mg daily. TDF 200 mg, FTC (300 mg) once daily, RAL 200 mg twice daily or DTG 50 mg daily. FTC (200 mg) once daily, RAL 400 mg twice daily or DTG 50 mg daily.
What is second-line treatment?
Second-line treatment is treatment for a disease or condition after the initial treatment (first-line treatment) has failed, stopped working, or has side effects that aren’t tolerated.
When do you need PEP?
PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) means taking medicine to prevent HIV after a possible exposure. PEP should be used only in emergency situations and must be started within 72 hours after a recent possible exposure to HIV.
Is PEP recommended?
The guidelines recommend the use of PEP where there is a ‘significant’ risk of HIV infection. Despite these guidelines, some people who have had possible HIV exposure, including gay men, have had difficulty getting PEP. If this happens to you, ask to speak to the on-call HIV doctor, who will know when PEP can be given.