The Highly Active-Antiretroviral Thearpy (HAART) for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

The objective of this literature research project is to analyze how the highly active- antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for Acquired Immune Deficiency Disorder (AIDS) has decreased AIDS mortality by interfering with the reproduction of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) inside human cells, particularly helper T-cells. Once inside these cells HIV binds to CD4, the membrane protein characteristic of helper T- cells. Then the viral enzyme reverse transcriptase synthesizes a complementary strand of DNA. Once this DNA is incorporated into the cell’s genetic material the infected cell synthesizes viral protein. The HAART treatment uses a combination of three drugs (Protease Inhibitors, Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors and Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors) to stop this viral reproduction mechanism. A combination of these drugs has proven to be effective in stopping viral replication at multiple sites, thus decreasing the viral load and increasing the CD4 cell count. This project reviews several clinical trials showing that this treatment is more successful in patients who previously were only treated with one class of these drugs. After the introduction of HAART in 1997 this disease that has plagued our society since the 1980s has become chronic and manageable. Although HAART is not the cure, and has multiple side effects, it certainly gives longer, higher quality lives to those infected