FAQs About HIV Viral Load Tests

From The Body's "Ask the Experts" Forums

February 27, 2013

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Viral Load Basics | Viral Load Test Results | Viral Load and HIV Treatment | Viral Load "Blips" | Viral Load and HIV Transmission

Viral Load Basics

Viral Load Test Results

What's considered an "undetectable" viral load now with newer, more sensitive tests?
Would it be possible to determine when I was infected based on my viral load test results?
Going from undetectable to nearly undetectable: Should I be concerned?
Why is a viral load of 400 considered OK?
Is my viral load of almost 50,000 high for having a cd4 count over 800?
My partner's viral load jumped from about 15,000 to over one million! What could potentially cause such a large viral load jump?
Will steroid treatment affect my viral load test results?
My viral load jumped from 30,000 to 23 million. Could this be an error, or is it something more serious?
If I have a high viral load, can I still be a "long-term nonprogressor"?
(A long-term nonprogressor is somebody who has had HIV for a long time -- usually eight years or more -- but whose immune system remains perfectly healthy, even though they've never taken HIV meds.)
Is it possible to have an "undetectable" viral load if you've never taken HIV medications?
How can two of the available HIV viral load tests -- PCR and NASBA -- both be legitimate when they each get different results?
What does the "log" mean in my viral load test results?

Viral Load and HIV Treatment

Viral Load "Blips"

Viral Load and HIV Transmission

For frequently asked questions on other HIV/AIDS topics, click here.

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