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 Angela,
How long have you been on medication for?
Info about viral loads and CD4 counts can be found here:
http://i-base.info/qa/6570
http://i-base.info/qa/20
My viral load was 60. I am taking it is good. But, I would like to know more about it. Also my absolute cd 4 helper was 792. I would like more information, please
Hi Gee,
Please go and have a test at a clinic, they will be able to tell you if you’re positive or not.
I used home oral test kit and tested positive with a very faint line.I then used the one of blood sample and it came out negative.which results should i consider?
Hi Chandani,
Your CD4 count of 778 is strong and it’s in the range of normal for a person who is HIV negative. The aim of HIV treatment (ART) is to get viral load to undetectable. And that means a having a viral load result that’s under 50 copies/mL.
my cd4 is 778 then viral load is normal please give me answer
Hi Robert,
You can see from this similar question that US and UK guidelines say viral load should be undetecable within 3 months of starting ART. So it’s not clear that your treatment has failed. But you can talk to the doctor and ask about your last viral load test.
Changing the dosage time once like this should be fine.
Here’s a page in ART in pictures that shows what happens after starting ART. The graphs make it look smooth but both CD4 and viral load can go up and down – especially in small numbers. However, you can ask the clinic about your next viral load test to make sure that treatment is working.
Hi so I was diagnosed in March started with a viral load of 653 and CD4 of 393. Was retested in May after 5 weeks in ART and CD4 was 597 and viral load was 57. Went back for a 4 week follow test and viral load has shot up to 245, I have not been made aware of my current CD4.
My question is should I be freaking out and panicking as my treatment has failed me? The only change I made to my treatment and only after consulting with my doctor was my dosage times I went from.everyday at noon to 830pm. I’m so lost please help me.
Hi Angel,
LDL means low density cholesterol. It’s a type of fat that is carried in the blood. It’s called ‘bad’ cholesterol because it can lead to heart disease. Everyone has 2 types of cholesterol. HDL is the other one, it’s known as ‘good’ cholesterol. You can find more information about blood fats here.
Hi what does it means LDL