Reading your Viral Load Report (Fact sheet)
Viral load is reported as the number of copies of HIV RNA per millilitre of plasma.
This number represents the amount of HIV in your blood. The results of the first viral
load test you had, or the average of your first two viral load tests, are called your
baseline viral load. Future viral load tests are compared to this baseline to determine if
there has been a change in your viral load. This is one way HIV positive people can
monitor the effects of treatment.
All viral load results vary. This is because of tiny changes in your body and in the
test procedure. Your baseline viral load is actually the middle of a range of numbers.
Within this range, increases or decreases are part of the normal variation of the test.
Outside of the range, increases or decreases are called significant, meaning they are not
due to chance, predictable errors in the test, or usual body variations.
The range is calculated using logarithms and is commonly called a "half log
change." An easy way to calculate this is to multiply and divide your baseline by 3.
If we use a baseline viral load of 5600 copies , then the range is from 1870 copies to
16,800 copies (5600 / 3 = 1870, 5600 x 3 = 16, 800). This sounds like a lot, but no new
result between 1870-16,800 is significantly different from your baseline.
If your viral load results are above your baseline range, it suggests that the amount
of virus in your body is increasing. If you are using viral load to monitor your
treatments, this increase suggests they are no longer working to control the virus. It is
time to consider new treatment options.
If your viral load results are below your baseline range, it suggests your treatments
are reducing the amount of virus in your body. Any treatments you are using seem to be
working to control your virus.
Even if your viral load does rise above your baseline range, have a second test done
before changing your treatments. This is to make sure that the change is not due to a
reporting error or a temporary illness.
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CATIE would like to thank the Ontario Ministry of Health, AIDS
Bureau, for funding this document. CATIE's HIV/AIDS Treatment Information Network is
funded by the AIDS Care, Treatment and Support Program under the National AIDS
Contribution Program of the National AIDS Strategy, Health Canada.
The Community AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) provides
information resources to help people living with HIV/AIDS who wish to manage their own
health care in partnership with their care providers. We do not recommend or advocate
particular treatments and we urge users to consult as broad a range of sources as
possible. While we update our material regularly, users should be aware that information
changes rapidly. Additional information may be available from CATIE at 1-800-263-1638 or
at our website at http://www.catie.ca. Users relying on
the information do so entirely at their own risk. Neither CATIE, the Ontario Ministry of
Health nor Health Canada accept responsibility for any damage that may result from the use
or misuse of this information. Decisions about particular treatments should be made in
consultation with a health care professional knowledgeable about HIV-related illnesses and
the treatments in question.
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