HIV Viral Load: Overview, Procedure And Result

An HIV viral load test measures the amount of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in a person's blood. HIV is the virus that brings acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). This test is used to determine how well treatment is working if someone has HIV, and how infectious they are. In this article, we discuss what a viral load test is and what the results mean.

HIV Viral Load

The HIV Viral Load Test estimates how much virus you have in your blood. A high viral load means that you have a lot of viruses in your blood and are more likely to get sick from HIV. A low load means the contrary.

The HIV Viral Load is important because it helps your doctor know how well your HIV medicine is working.

The HIV Viral Load test is a blood test that looks for the presence of viral genetic material. These are either called molecular tests or NAAT/NAT. There are several types of NAAT tests, with PCR testing often employed to spot HIV.

HIV and AIDS

While HIV is a virus capable of destroying your immune system, targeting the cells that protect your system against viruses and bacteria. Loss of immune cells would mean your body will no longer be capable of fighting infections. It is possible to get HIV and AIDS if you come into contact with the blood of another HIV patient. This also means it spreads through bodily contact like sex and sharing needles.

While HIV is a virus that leads to an immunodeficiency syndrome, AIDS is more like an end stage of this infection. The risk of opportunistic infections is the main reason you may have to go through regular treatment as it could turn fatal if not taken care of. It is also possible for patients to develop certain cancers if they have AIDS.

It is important to note that most HIV patients do not necessarily have AIDS.

If you have been diagnosed with HIV, then the first step would be taking HIV medicines prescribed by your doctor to prevent getting into the AIDS stage. 

Medications For HIV

ART (antiretroviral therapy) is the most common form of medicine prescribed for HIV conditions. While it is not possible to completely get rid of HIV, it is possible to keep HIV under control given you take these medicines regularly for the rest of your life. 

This would also mean you should have regular HIV viral load tests to ensure the medicine is working and you are in a healthy state. 

When to Take an HIV Viral Load Test?

This HIV Viral Load Test comes into the picture after you've been diagnosed with HIV and it helps in making decisions regarding your treatment. It helps the doctors to understand how well the medicines are working and keep a track of changes happening in your body due to this infection.

However, in some cases, this viral load test is used for diagnosis. While a general approach would be to take the patient through an HIV screening test, viral load tests are also suggested. 

Why Do You Need a HIV Viral Load Test?

As mentioned previously, this test can help the experts finalize your treatment decisions. While it is a common approach to start with HIV medicines after a diagnosis, the viral load test is important to find out the amount of infection we are dealing with. 

With this test, the doctors will be able to select the right medicines by the intensity of the infection. They also compare the periodical test results to monitor your progress, basically as a method to regularly check your infection. 

The goal of this treatment plan combined with the HIV viral load test results would be to reduce the virus in your blood until there is too little to be seen on a test. This whole plan becomes a success when you consistently take these tests.

Procedure of HIV Viral Load Test

The healthcare expert will be taking a blood sample from your arm in small amounts in a vial, just like any other blood test. This takes about five minutes after which the tests will be conducted to find out if you have the infection. While you do not necessarily have to prepare yourself for a viral load test, you may want to take some time to talk to a HealthCare professional to understand your treatment options and how the results work.

Results of HIV Viral Load Test

A negative HIV viral load would mean the test is not able to find it because that is less HIV in your blood. If you are on medications, it means your treatment is working well and the immune system is well protected. However, this does not mean you are completely after radar, which means you may have to continue your medicines.

A low load would mean your medications are managing the infection well and that it won't necessarily get more destructive.

A high HIV viral load means the medicine is not as effective and you are prone to problems related to weak immune systems. You may also end up developing AIDS. In such cases, providers usually change the medications and treatment plan.

While this would be applicable after the doctor has confirmed the presence of the virus, an HIV viral load test to find out the presence of a virus would yield only two results. A negative or positive result. In the latter case, the healthcare expert will request more tests to understand the intensity of the damage.

Conclusion

Now that you know the details of the viral load test and its importance, you might want to consider the right Health Care institution for support. This viral load test could be expensive and at Metropolis Healthcare, we ensure you are not burdened with it. We understand the importance of this test and help you comfortably go through regular checkups because you are our priority. If you believe you have been exposed to this infection, contact us right away to get started with your tests.