About 5% of people with HIV progress to AIDS very quickly – their viral load remains very high after they are infected and their CD4 count drops to under 200 in the first 1-2 years. These people are fast progessors. Most people take 5-10 years for this to happen.<\/p>\n
Another 5% people, perhaps a bit less, maintain a normal CD4 count and often have undetectable or very low viral load for many years – sometimes for 15-20 years. The terms for this is Long-Term Non Progressor (LTNP) or, probably more accurately, Long-Term Slow Progressors.<\/p>\n
There is a large variability between people, and you may be lucky and have an immune response that is strong to the virus. It is too early to know how long this will continue, but a low viral load is a good sign that you may be lucky here.<\/p>\n
The reason for different progression rates is related more to genetic factors and your immune system than to the type of HIV that you were infected with.<\/p>\n
One gene that slows progression is if you have one deletion (change) in delta-32 region of your CCR5 receptor gene. People with two deletions are protected from infection from most types of HIV, and people with one have slower progression.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, these genetic tests are only available as research tools at the moment, and your clinic is unlikely to be able to get them for you. In practical terms, monitoring your CD4 count and viral load every 3-4 months as you are doing already, is the best approach.<\/p>\n