Forum on Opportunistic Infections: What is Viral Load?

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		What is Viral Load? Jan 12, 2001 I have recently started treatment after being Positive for 14 years. My viral load went from 277,000+ to a now undetectable level. At that time my CD4 were at 165, now over 400. This has happened in 4 months. However, I would like to know more about the significance of viral load and its impact on HIV, etc.


Advertisement Response from Dr. Feinberg The amount of HIV in your blood (viral load) is the best predictor of how fast or slow you will experience disease progression (for example, the development of AIDS). Suppression of viral load below the limit of detection is usually associated with a significant increase in T cells, which are crucial to protecting you against opportunistic pathogens.

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