There's no cure for HIV, but treatment options are much better than they were a few decades ago.

Many different medical professionals provide care, comfort, and treatment for people with HIV.

The CD4:CD8 ratio test judges the strength of your immune system and if you're at risk for opportunistic infections.

With an  HIV diagnosis, you’ll want to start treatment right away. Early treatment gives you the chance to stay healthy.

If you're getting treated for an HIV infection, your doctor may suggest a type of drug called an NRTI.

Biktarvy is a safe and effective treatment for people with HIV. The three medicines contained in Biktarvy work together to stop the spread of HIV in your body. This helps protect and preserve the immune system and can prevent the virus from being spread to other people. 

People with HIV have a virus that spreads in their body and damages the immune system, making it easier for them to get very sick from other infections. Descovy helps protect and preserve the immune system and can prevent the virus from being spread to other people.

If you’re living with HIV, your doctor may prescribe meds called non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, or NNRTIs.

The term “protease inhibitor” refers to a class of medications. Specifically, they are antiviral drugs.

Integrase inhibitors have become a standard HIV treatment. Research shows they work well to keep the disease in check.

HIV booster drugs help. But their job isn’t to treat HIV. It’s to make certain other HIV-fighting medicines work better.

Symtuza: Single-tablet HIV treatment covering how it works, clinical studies, side effects, and patient considerations.

Single-tablet treatment regimens (STRs) are popular. STRs mix drugs into one tablet or capsule that you take once a day.

Dovato: A two-drug HIV treatment, its mechanism, dosage, clinical studies, and side effects.

If you have a pill regime to follow, how do you remember to take meds every day? Use these tips to help you stay on track.

AIDS and HIV drug side effects are common. They range from mild to life-threatening but can often be prevented or managed.

If you take antiretroviral therapy to manage HIV, it’s common for HIV drugs to have interactions with other meds you take.

HIV drug resistance can happen if the virus in your body mutates. This affects how well your antiretroviral therapy works.

Treating HIV can be expensive. Care involves medication called antiretroviral therapy and regular visits with your doctor.

If you’re concerned about paying for treatment and other related costs, many programs can provide financial assistance.

Researchers continue to look for new and better HIV treatments. Here’s a look at some of the most exciting options.

People with HIV may have to take multiple medicines just to keep the virus under control. Cabenuva is the first complete treatment for HIV that is given by injection either once a month or once every two months.

Here’s a closer look at some common complementary treatments for HIV/AIDS and what scientific research reveals about them.

Remission generally means that HIV viral load has remained undetectable after HIV treatment has been stopped.

Scientists believe that an HIV cure is possible. But we need to develop one that can wipe out HIV or keep you in remission.

As HIV weakens your natural defenses, you might notice signs all over your body.

You’re more likely to have heart disease if you have the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS.

 If you have HIV, your risk of high cholesterol goes up. We need more research to understand the link between the two.

Without HIV, there’s about a 30% risk you’ll get hypertension sometime in life. If you’re HIV-positive, that goes up to 35%.

One study showed that diabetes was up to four times more common in people with HIV.

When you have AIDS, your body may find it hard to fight off colds. Make sure you do what you can to avoid catching one.

If you have HIV, you may be concerned that condition raises your risk for a bad case of COVID-19.

HIV may make your bones more likely to break. And some anti-HIV medications may raise your chances for bone loss.

HIV affects many parts of your body, and your eyes are no exception.

You might have heard that an HIV infection can affect your eyes. One way it does is a condition called retinopathy.

Cytomegalovirus retinitis is an eye infection. You're more likely to get it if you have a weak immune system from HIV or AIDS.

Untreated HIV, over the course of years, will harm your immune system and can lead to opportunistic infections.

The illness known as HIV/AIDS happens in three stages: acute HIV infection, chronic HIV infection, and AIDS.

Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is a serious infection that causes inflammation and fluid buildup in your lungs.

Someone infected with both HIV and tuberculosis is at least 10 times more likely to develop active tuberculosis.

Mycobacterium avium complex usually causes problems after HIV becomes AIDS and your CD4 cell count gets lower than 50.

In people who have advanced HIV, CMV can cause an eye infection called retinitis that may lead to blindness.

Cryptosporidium is a one-celled parasite that can make you sick. It can happen in people who have advanced HIV, or AIDS.

When you’re living with HIV, your weakened your immune system makes it easier for candida to overgrow and cause candidiasis.

Toxoplasmosis is a common infection of the central nervous system in people with HIV.

Fortunately, with the rise of antiretroviral therapy for HIV, opportunistic infections have gone down significantly.

If you live with an advanced case of HIV, you can be an easy target for different infections and diseases.

Kaposi’s sarcoma is a cancer in which tumors grow below the surface of your skin and in your mouth, nose, eyes, and anus.

NHL can happen more quickly when you have a weakened immune system, so people with HIV are more likely to get it.

Lymphocytopenia is a condition in which your blood does not have a sufficient amount of white blood cells.

Someone with AIDS is said to have it when they've lost at least 10% of their body weight, especially muscle.

Because HIV weakens the immune system, people with AIDS are more likely to suffer health issues, such as skin problems.

When HIV attacks someone's nervous system, it can damage their brain and cause HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders.

Better control of HIV and newer antiretroviral drugs make the development of lipodystrophy. less likely.

If you are living with HIV, you are three times more likely to face depression than those who are HIV negative.

If you are HIV-positive, you’re also more likely to have the viral infection hepatitis than people who don’t have HIV.

Castleman disease is a rare condition that happens when too many cells grow in your lymph nodes.

Mouth sores are common in people with HIV. While they aren’t life-threatening, they can impact your quality of life.

Women with the human immunodeficiency virus are six times more likely to develop cervical cancer than women without HIV.

You can live a normal life with HIV. With your doctor’s help and advice, you can take steps to stay as healthy as possible.

Tuning up your diet can improve your health and help you feel better. Here are a few tips to start.

If you take a certain drug for HIV, there's a chance that garlic supplements could stop it from working well.

There’s evidence that some supplements may be beneficial for people with HIV. But some may be especially risky.

Substance abuse, or an unhealthy pattern of alcohol or other drug use, can harm your health if you have HIV.

If you have HIV, you might wonder if marijuana -- medicinal or recreational -- can help or if there are risks.

There’s some evidence that marijuana may help with HIV symptoms and some side effects of treatment.

If you’re HIV-positive and planning to travel outside the U.S., you may face health risks you don’t have at home.

If you are HIV-positive, you can still have sex. In some cases, you can even have unprotected sex without putting your partner at risk.

Learning that you have HIV doesn’t have to bring your sex life to a stop.

You can still have relationships and a sex life when you're HIV-positive. You just need to be a little more careful.

If you are a man who has sex with men, you might be at greater risk forgetting HIV, the virus causes AIDS.

Gay men are often seen as the public face of HIV. But it’s possible for a woman to spread HIV to another woman during sex.

Many groups can help connect you to medical, financial, and emotional support if you have HIV.

All too often, people with HIV become targets of judgment, when what they need is support and compassion.

What do you do when you can't hold a job because of AIDS? Disability insurance pays you regularly when you can't work.

Your HIV status is personal medical information. There are laws that protect the privacy of your health information.

HIV status discrimination is when people living with HIV and AIDS face negative attitudes, abuse, and discrimination.

If you need more help, an HIV case manager can help you get the support you need to live a stable life.

Along with taking your HIV medication, self-care helps you stay healthy, have a better quality of life, and live longer.

As you or someone you know progresses to late-stage AIDS, it’s important to see if additional services could be helpful.

Caring for someone with advanced AIDS can be difficult. But it can also give you precious time and meaningful experiences.

Condoms are the best way to prevent HIV because the virus can't pass through the barrier. You must use them correctly.

A dental dam is a square, stretchy sheet made from latex or polyurethane. It blocks the body fluids that can spread STDs.

HIV treatment as prevention means a person living with HIV takes meds to prevent passing the virus to someone without it.

PrEP means pre-exposure prophylaxis. It's a pill or injection you take when you don't have HIV but are likely to get it.

Only about 10% of women in the U.S. who could benefit from PrEP get a prescription from their doctor.

Studies show that members of marginalized communities often find it harder to access proper medical care, including PrEP.

The one downside to Truvada is that it's very expensive for people who don't have health insurance.

If you take your PrEP pills as directed, they work quite well against future HIV transmission.

Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is drug you take after you’ve come into contact with HIV, to lower your chance of infection.

If you’re seeking PEP treatment after sexual assault or rape, hospitals or doctors should provide you with a 28-day supply.

Although it's been decades since the discovery of the virus, we still don't have a vaccine for HIV. Why?

Researchers are trying to develop an HIV vaccine. Decades after the search began, the efforts have so far come up short.

Whether you're newly diagnosed with HIV or already in treatment, learn how to make the most of your doctor appointment.