Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The results of a viral load test help determine when a CD4 count is indicated. [1] CD4 cells are the primary target of HIV. A CD4 test quantifies Helper T cells and is often combined with viral load testing to monitor the progression of HIV. CD4 testing shows the strength of the immune system, but does not report viral activity.
Currently, routine testing is available for HIV-1, cytomegalovirus, hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis C virus. Viral load monitoring for HIV is of particular interest in the treatment of people with HIV, as this is continually discussed in the context of management of HIV/AIDS. An undetectable viral load does not implicate a lack of infection.
Suppressing the viral load to undetectable levels (<50 copies per ml) is the primary goal of ART. [56] This should happen by 24 weeks after starting combination therapy. [83] Viral load monitoring is the most important predictor of response to treatment with ART. [84] Lack of viral load suppression on ART is termed virologic failure.
The campaign seeks to spread the scientific evidence that undetectable means untransmittable. Since the beginning of the epidemic, perceptions and management of HIV infection have gone through many stages; from assuming the infectiousness, then discovering the routes of transmission (blood, sexual fluids, and breastfeeding), to prevention methods (education, condoms, PrEP, and PEP) and various ...
A woman demonstrates the use of the OraQuick rapid HIV test. Blood being taken for HIV rapid test. Rapid antibody tests are qualitative immunoassays intended for use in point-of-care testing to aid in the diagnosis of HIV infection. These tests should be used in conjunction with the clinical status, history, and risk factors of the person being ...
At this point, seroconversion, the development of antibodies, occurs and the CD4 T cell counts begin to recover as the immune system attempts to fight the virus, marking the HIV set point. The higher the viral load at the set point, the faster the virus will progress to AIDS; the lower the viral load at the set point, the longer the patient ...
Virological failure is defined as the failure to meet a specific target of antiviral drug treatment, namely the non-attainment or non-maintenance of undetectable viral load, particularly in the treatment of HIV. As antiretroviral therapy is evaluated by detecting the amount of copies of the virus in blood samples, the concept of virological ...
An HIV-positive person who has an undetectable viral load as a result of long-term treatment has effectively no risk of transmitting HIV sexually. [15] [16] Campaigns by UNAIDS and organizations around the world have communicated this as Undetectable = Untransmittable. [17]