What does the viral load tell
me?
High viral load = You have
a lot of HIV virus reproducing in
your body. If you are on antiretroviral
drugs, it tells you that the meds
are not working well and that you
should consider switching them.
Low viral load = You are on
meds and your HIV virus is “undectectable.”
Or, you have a low viral load that
is determined by the HIV Treatment
Guidelines and you do not have to
start meds right away.
If you are not currently on HIV meds,
then you probably don’t need
to go on them immediately if your
viral load is low. If you are on HIV
meds, ideally your antiretroviral
combination should keep your viral
load at “undetectable” –
if your viral load if consistently
‘low’ but not undetectable,
than that is acceptable, as long as
the CD4 count is good.
|
