Glossary of HIV/AIDS-Related Terms - AIDSinfo - National Institutes ...

Introduction
Window period, immunosuppression, viral load…the vocabulary of
HIV/AIDS can be daunting. Key to understanding HIV is a grasp of the
terminology used to describe the virus, the infection it causes, and
strategies used to diagnose, treat, and prevent HIV/AIDS. In addition, to
appreciate groundbreaking HIV/AIDS studies, it is helpful to understand
research-related terms. The 7th Edition of the AIDSinfo Glossary of
HIV/AIDS-Related Terms provides people living with HIV, their families
and their friends, health care professionals, and students a guide to
understanding this complex disease.
The 7th Edition of the Glossary includes concise definitions for over
700 terms. To ensure a comprehensive selection of terms, AIDSinfo
reviewed a variety of sources, including federally approved medical
practice guidelines and the latest findings from HIV-related research
studies. Term definitions were developed on the basis of health
information from trusted government sources, including the
National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Library of Medicine
(NLM), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). AIDSinfo consulted with
content experts in HIV to ensure the accuracy of definitions for some
highly technical terms.
In general, terms in the Glossary are defined in the context of
HIV/AIDS. For example, a cancer may be identified as an AIDS-related
cancer, or an adverse event may be described as a possible
consequence of using some antiretroviral HIV drugs. To enhance
understanding of some terms, readers are referred to related terms in
the Glossary.
New additions to the 7th Edition of the Glossary include the following:
151 new terms and accompanying definitions.
ii HIV/AIDS Glossary