HIV

Single Measurement of Viral Load May be Ineffective for Estimating HIV Status

A single measurement of HIV viral load may overestimate the number of people with HIV who have durable viral suppression, according to a recent study. Further, some individuals’ viral loads remained high enough to increase the risk of transmission despite regular care for the infection.

In the study, researchers examined data of 630,965 persons aged 13 years and older who were diagnosed with HIV. The researchers calculated the percentage of persons with HIV whose last viral load in 2014 was below 200 copies/mL, the percentage of persons who had viral loads below 200 copies/mL in 2014, the percentage of persons whose viral load was 200 copies/mL or greater, and the “copy year” (measurement of viremia that assesses a person’s exposure to HIV over time).
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In 2014, 57.3% of persons with HIV had a suppression viral load on their most recent test, 47.6% had a durable viral suppression throughout the year, and 8.1% never achieved viral suppression. Those who never achieved viral suppression had an average of 17,530 copy-years of virema, and 56.3% had at least 2 tests for viral loads in 2014, which suggested they received regular care for HIV infection.

The findings of the study emphasize the importance of routine monitoring of viral suppression status, and suggests more effective delivery of appropriate therapy in response to test results of HIV viral load.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Crepaz N, Tang T, Marks G, Hall HI. Viral suppression patterns among persons in the United States with diagnosed HIV infection in 2014 [published online August 8, 2017]. Ann Inter Med. doi:10.7326/L17-0278.