Question
What do my viral load test results mean?
5 January 2016. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load.
Please can you explain how viral load results mean?
I got my results back and I don’t understand them. It says log units is 2.777 and my RNA copies is 599 cp/mL.
Is this low or high? My CD4 count is 697.
Answer
Hi
Thanks for your question – and it is good that you want to understand your test results.
Sometimes this can be dfficult if your doctor has not explained them clearly. It is also okay to ask your doctor or nurse to explain anything that you are not sure of.
Viral loads tests tells you how much virus is in a millilitre of blood (or another body fluid being measured).
When not on treatment, viral load can range from undetectable to several millions. For anyone on HIV treatment (ART), viral load should ideally get to undetectable, This is defined as being less than 50 copies/mL.
Your test results are the 599 copies/mL, so your viral load is still detectable at 599.
The ‘2.777 log units’ from your test results is a slightly complicated way of saying exactly the same thing as ‘599 copies/mL’.
Because viral loads have such a huge range of numbers they are sometimes expressed in ‘log units’ to make it easier to write them on graphs and diagrams. Doctors and scientists use log scales to look at changes to viral loads over time. See this table of log units compared to viral loads in copies/mL.
Whether this is considered high or low depends on whether or not you are on treatment.
- If you’re not on treatment yet this is a relatively low viral load, which is a good thing.
- If you are on treatment, then if you only recently started ART, your viral load might still be going down.
- If you have been on treatment for more than six month, please talk to your doctor about why the results in not undetectable.
For more information about viral loads and how they relate to both treatment and infectiousness you can also have a look at the following links:
Viral Load and Treatment
Viral Load and Infectiousness
If you tell me if you are currently on treatment or not I can provide more individual information, Also, if you are on treatment, when did you start?
This answer was updated in January 2016 from a question first posted on 5 April 2012.
Hi Ntonto,
Your CD4 is excellent. As too is your viral load. This is because its less than 50 copies. This means that the risk of transmission is close to zero. Which is important. It also means that your HIV is really under control.
Can u pls explain this….my CD4 count is 800 and what worries me is in my clinic they don’t explain more about my viral load it says….> 20 and it’s been 4 years on treatment….can u plss elaborate for me further more.
Hi Unknown,
A viral laod of 144 is good. However, until it becomes less than 50, your still classified as being detectable. For more info, please see here:
http://i-base.info/qa/6570
what does it mean to have 144 viral loads?
Hi RK,
What meds are you taking? Where you having kidney problems before you started your ARVs? How long have you been on meds for?
If you could get back to us, we’ll be able to help.
My CD4 count 399. I am also on dialysis due to kidney failure. My problem is the hemoglobin count which is always dropping as low as 2 . Please explain if there is any correlation. Are the ARVs I take responsible?
Hi Dipuo,
Are you on medication? If you are how long have you been on it for?
If you aren’t on medication then its normal to have a detectable viral load. For this to become undetectable, so less than 50 copies you will need to be on medication.
If you could get back to us, we’ll be able to help.
I’ve been positive since April 2010. My CD4 is 999 and my viral load is 1500. I’m worried.
Hi Nikki,
There’s no reason why you can’t use geva products. They won’t however help control your HIV. Only ARVs can do this.
Even if your CD4 is high, it is recommend that everyone who is positive should be on meds. For more info please see here:
http://i-base.info/start/
Is it OK to take geva products,I’m still not on treatment. My CD4 is 600.