Question
Is a viral load of 70 a blip and do I need to be worried?
24 March 2010. Related: CD4 and viral load, Changing treatment, Living with HIV long-term.
Answer
Is a viral load of 70 a blip and do I need to be worried?
A ‘blip’ is a viral load result that is just over 50 copies/mL. Viral load should have been undetectable on previous tests and be undetectable again on the next test. Low-level blips are between 50 to 200 and these are most common. Occasionally they can be higher, perhaps as high as 2000.
Half the time a low-level blip can be a lab error. Retesting exactly the came sample can produce an undetectable result. They can also come from missed adherence before the blood was taken. They can be related to another unrelated infection, or may be a random burst of HIV activity.
Luckily, for most people an occasional blip will have no impact on your health. A study presented in February found that people with occasional low-level blips had the same long-term health as people who never blipped. However, people with more frequent and higher blips were related to worse long term health. [1]
If you get a blip, get blood taken again on the same day you get the result. Then ask for the new results within two weeks.
This is to check it is a blip and not a real viral load rebound. If your viral load is really rebounding, you do not want to wait three months for the result. This is to reduce the risk or further resistance.
If viral load is persistently above 50 and adherence is perfect, then you could check blood levels of any PIs or NNRTIs in the combination, and check for any potential drug interactions.
Similarly, if blips are frequent, then modifying or changing your combination is recommended. How and when this is done will depend on your own treatment history and the drug that you still have available.
Hi Carlos, were you on treatment with the viral load result of 70? A viral load this low is excellent. It shows that HIV is not damaging your body and you are unable to pass on HIV to sexual partners.
As you currently have a low CD4 count are you on another treatment called co-trimoxazole? This is an antibiotic used to prevent other infections as your own immune system is recovering. CD4 count recovery is a slow process and does not respond as quickly to treatment as does viral load.
hello, i got diagnosed and as soon as i got diagnosed i made a Viral load and CD4 test after a few months that i got the results i got 70 copies/ml on Viral load, and 170 in CD4, im very worried about the veracity of the test, that means I was on surpression on the first test without treatment and I have a worrying amount on CD4, I know CD4 depends from body to body, but its weird that the viral load is this low.
Hi Mahlokomelo, so long as your viral load is lless than 200 copies/mL there is no risk of HIV tansmission to your partner. It also depends on your viral load history though.
If you have had an undetectable viral load test before this, and this is just a blip, then the risk is still zero.
If you only just started treatment, then some guidelines recommended waiting for six months after the first undetectable result.
You also need to be careful in taking your meds to keep viral load this low.
Please see this link on U-U for more information:
https://i-base.info/u-equals-u/
Hi,am positive with 56 copies is it safe to have unprotected sex
Hi Nancy, your viral load is still less than 200 copies/mL so your treatment could still be working well. Also, without details of the dates of these tests it is difficult to comment. Unless they are prescribed by your doctor, thry are unlikely to be needed but they might interact with your HIV meds. This means the nurse practitioner is giving you good advice. Please let us know what happens, if this would help.
My viral load was previously undetectable for many years. Over the last 2 years it has gone up to 59 then 70 and recently 120. My adherence is almost 100%. My nurse practitioner has suggested I stop taking all my supplements to see if that will make a difference. Then she will test me in a month. What should be my next step?
Hi Jai, if a viral load is below 200, HIV cannot be transmitted via sex. This is explained by U=U: https://i-base.info/guides/testing/uu-undetectable-untransmittable
When viral load is this low a condom is not needed. It is also not needed for the parter to be on PrEP. It is not possible to pass on HIV.
Can someone contract HIV with 70 copies and you had unprotected sex with someone who does not have HIV?
Hi Jama,
An undetectable viral load is anything under 50 copies/ml.
If Your viral load is 120 copies/ml is this undectable or dectable