Chronic HIV Infection
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Synonym(s)
Asymptomatic HIV Infection, Clinical Latency
The stage of HIV between acute HIV infection and the onset of AIDS. During chronic HIV infection, HIV levels gradually increase and the number of CD4 cells decrease. Declining CD4 cell levels indicate increasing damage to the immune system. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) can prevent HIV from destroying the immune system and advancing to AIDS.
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