combination antiretroviral therapy

Treatment that uses a combination of three or more drugs to treat HIV infection. Combination antiretroviral therapy stops the virus from making copies of itself in the body. This may lessen the damage to the immune system caused by HIV and may slow down the development of AIDS. It may also help prevent transmission of HIV to others, including from mother to child during birth. Also called cART, HAART, and highly active antiretroviral therapy.