Question
My viral load is still detectable after six months on Tribuss…
6 July 2016. Related: Adherence, All topics, CD4 and viral load, Changing treatment, Resistance, South Africa.
i’ve been on Tribuss for six month now. When I started my CD 4 count was 333 and now it is 328. Why is dropping? My viral load was 55 000 and now is 23 000.
Answer
Hi
Thanks for your question and for the details of your results.
After six months on treatment, the most important test is the viral load.
As this in not undetectable, your doctor needs to try to explain this result.
The doctor needs to take another viral load test to check the results now – ie a few week later. If viral load is still this high, the doctor will talk about adherence.
If you have been taking all your meds, then you might have had drug resistance before you started treatment. This will mean changing to a new treatment.
If you have been missing doses, then finding a way to take every dose might still help. If might be that you already have resistance though and need to change treatment.
Your CD4 count is still strong and the difference in both results is not important. Finding out about viral load is important though.
Hi Amit,
Both viral load and CD4 are important. But the aim of HIV treatment (ART) is to reduce viral load to undetectable, and that means below 50 copies/mL.
Here is a page from ART in Pictures, it shows how ART reduces viral load, and how that allows the CD4 count to recover.
after 8 month treatment my viral load undetectable..before treatment viral load was 38640 now is 0.. what is important cd4 or viral load .
Please see this link:
http://i-base.info/guides/starting/two-essential-blood-tests
The results depend on whether or you are taking HIV meds.
If you are not on meds, it is a factor for deciding to start. If you are already on meds it might mean the meds are not working, but this depends on how long you have been using the treatment. If you have been on treatment for more than 6 months, it shows you might need to change treatment.
I want to know if my viral load is 44000 what does ir mean