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 Deron,
Unless you’re using condoms to prevent pregnancy, then its fine for you to have sex with your wife without using a condom. It won’t cause either of you any problems.
Both my wife and I are positive and have undetectable viral loads, can we have sex without using a condom?
Hi SSN,
A persons viral load will usually begin to rise within 2 weeks after having stopped meds. This is even if someone is physically healthy. This is why its important to adhere to your medication and not stop taking it.
Is someone misses their meds for 8 months will their viral load increase despite being physically healthy?
Hi linah,
A viral load of 1020 isn’t high. However, as you’ve been on ARVs now for 7 months your viral load should ideally be less than 50. What was it when your started meds?
I’ve been on treatment for 7 months now and my viral load is 1020. Is it high?
Hi Nelly,
I can’t say what this number is, therefore this is something that you’ll need to ask your doctor. The CD4 drop could be a blip, however if you can have this tested again then you should. How are you doing with the TB meningitis?
Hi I’m on arv’s since 2013 my c4 was 80 on that time last year February it was 227. This year it dropped to 159 and I was diagonised with TBmenengitis .I’m still continuing with my treatment my problem is my viral load they did not say anything to me at hospital about it but it was written BH01961659.What does it mean.
Hi Nageswara, it sounds like your treatment is working, but really your viral load needs to become lower. If you only recently started treatment, the viral load might still be going down. Ideally, viral load should reach under 50 copies/mL after 3 months on treatment.
Sir my viral load is 5600. i started treatment from another doctor. can i survive?