Q and A

Question

Should I worry if viral load is now over 700 on injectable ART?

Hi there, I have been undetectable since 2016 and for six months I have been on injectables.

Yesterday I had a blood test and today I see that I have a viral load of over 700.

Should I be worried?

Answer

Hi there
Thanks – I hope your doctor has already retested the viral load again. The doctor should also run a drug resistance test, in case there are early signs of drug resistance.
If they haven’t done this, please do this now.
The latest result might just be a blip and the new test might show you are undetectable again. Your doctor should also ask about other things that might have affected the result.
It is important enough to have these tests now and to get the results back promptly, as this could reduce the risk of drug resistance.
Your latest viral load is serious because if viral load continues to be detectable, there is the risk of developing drug resistance quickly to both classes of drug.
Please let me know how you get on or if you have other questions.

2 comments

  1. Simon Collins

    Hi Shando, viral load is a test to show how much HIV is in a small amount of blood. HIV treatment brings viral load down from very high levels to become undetectable using regular tests. These links have more info:
    https://i-base.info/guides/starting/two-essential-blood-tests
    and
    https://i-base.info/ttfa/section-2/8-what-is-a-viral-load-test/

  2. Shando

    What is a viral load,how much must be

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