Common Abbreviations in HIV Care
This section provides a comprehensive list of abbreviations and acronyms commonly used in HIV care and treatment. It is designed to support learners in navigating clinical guidelines, research articles, patient records, and examination materials. The questions in this course also make frequent use of these terms, reflecting real-world clinical language and guideline-based practice. Familiarity with these abbreviations is essential for clear communication, accurate interpretation of clinical documentation, and successful completion of the HIV Diploma. The list includes drug names, laboratory terms, clinical concepts, programme-related terminology, and common abbreviations from South African and international HIV management guidelines.
Core HIV-Related Abbreviations
- AHD: Advanced HIV Disease
- AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
- ART: Antiretroviral Therapy
- ARV: Antiretroviral
- CD4: Refers to CD4+ T cells
- HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus
- IRIS: Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome
- MSM: Men who have sex with men
- OI: Opportunistic Infection
- PLHIV: People Living with HIV
- VL: Viral Load
Common Antiretrovirals and ART Regimens
- 3TC: Lamivudine
- ABC: Abacavir
- ATV/r: Atazanavir/ritonavir
- AZT or ZDV: Zidovudine
- DRV/r: Darunavir/ritonavir
- DTG: Dolutegravir
- EFV: Efavirenz
- FTC: Emtricitabine
- LPV/r: Lopinavir/ritonavir
- NVP: Nevirapine
- pDTG: paediatric Dolutegravir
- RAL: Raltegravir
- RPV: Rilpivirine
- TAF: Tenofovir Alafenamide
- TDF: Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate
- TLD: Tenofovir, Lamivudine, Dolutegravir
Treatment Class Abbreviations
- CCR5 antagonist: Chemokine Coreceptor 5 Antagonist
- FI: Fusion Inhibitor
- INSTI: Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitor
- NNRTI: Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor
- NRTI: Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor
- PI: Protease Inhibitor
Diagnostic and Laboratory Abbreviations
- AFP: Alpha fetoprotein
- ALT: Alanine Aminotransferase
- AST: Aspartate Aminotransferase
- CD4: CD4 T-cell Count
- CrCl: Creatinine Clearance
- CRP: C-Reactive Protein
- CSF: Cerebrospinal Fluid
- CT: Computed Tomography
- DEXA: Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry
- DNA PCR: Deoxyribonucleic Acid Polymerase Chain Reaction
- DST: Drug Susceptibility Testing
- ECG: Electrocardiogram
- FBC: Full Blood Count
- GCS: Glasgow Coma Scale
- GFR: Glomerular Filtration Rate
- GXP: GeneXpert MTB/RIF Assay
- Hb: Haemoglobin
- IGRA: Interferon Gamma Release Assay
- INR: International Normalised Ratio
- IU/L: International Units per Litre
- LFT: Liver Function Test
- LLN: Lower Limit of Normal
- LPA: Line Probe Assay
- MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- NAAT: Nucleic Acid Amplification Test
- PCR: Polymerase Chain Reaction
- QTc: Corrected QT Interval
- RNA PCR: Ribonucleic Acid Polymerase Chain Reaction
- RPR: Rapid Plasma Reagin
- U&E: Urea and Electrolytes
- ULN: Upper Limit of Normal
- VL: Viral Load
- WCC: White Cell Count
Tuberculosis and TB-HIV Co-Management
- 3HP: 3 Months Isoniazid + Rifapentine
- 3RH: 3 Months Rifampicin + Isoniazid
- 6H: 6 Months of Isoniazid Monotherapy
- AT-DILI: Anti-Tuberculous Drug-Induced Liver Injury
- BCG: Bacille Calmette–Guérin (TB vaccine)
- BDQ: Bedaquiline
- BPaL-L: Bedaquiline, Pretomanid, Linezolid, Levofloxacin
- BPaLM: Bedaquiline, Pretomanid, Linezolid, Moxifloxacin
- DILI: Drug-Induced Liver Injury
- EPTB: Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis
- INH: Isoniazid
- IPT: Isoniazid preventative therapy
- LAM: Lipoarabinomannan
- Pa: Pretomanid
- RHZE: Rifampicin, Isoniazid, Pyrazinamide, Ethambutol
- Rif: Rifampicin
- RR-TB: Rifampicin-Resistant Tuberculosis
- TBM: Tuberculous Meningitis
- TPT: TB preventative therapy
Clinical Management and Monitoring
- DC: Dispensing Cycle
- DMOC: Differentiated models of care
- EAC: Enhanced Adherence Counselling
- EX-PUP: External pick-up point
- FAC-PUP: Facility pick-up point
- PUP: Pick-up point
- RPC: Repeat Prescription Collection
Infections and Co-infections
- CMV: Cytomegalovirus
- CrAg: Cryptococcal Antigen
- EBV: Epstein–Barr Virus
- HBsAg: Hepatitis B Surface Antigen
- HBV: Hepatitis B Virus
- HCV: Hepatitis C Virus
- HCV ab: Hepatitis C virus antibody
- MAC: Mycobacterium Avium Complex
- PJP: Pneumocystis Jirovecii Pneumonia
- VZV: Varicella Zoster Virus
Comorbidities and Complications
- AKI: Acute Kidney Injury
- CKD: Chronic Kidney Disease
- DRESS: Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms
- HIVAN: HIV-Associated Nephropathy
- ITP: Immune thrombocytopaenic purpura
- TTP: Thrombotic thrombocytopaenic purpura