The
management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple anti
retroviral drugs in an attempt to control
HIV infection. There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the
HIV life-cycle. The use of multiple drugs that act on different viral targets is known as
highly active antiretroviral therapy (
HAART). HAART decreases the patient's total burden of HIV, maintains function of the
immune system, and prevents
opportunistic infections that often lead to death.