HIV Viral Load

An HIV viral load test measures the amount of HIV in a sample of your blood. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. The test looks for genetic material from the virus in your blood.

These tests are called molecular tests or nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT or NAT). There are several types of NAAT tests. A PCR test is one type of NAAT that may be used to find HIV.

HIV is a virus that destroys certain cells in your immune system. These cells protect your body against diseases from germs, such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi. If you lose too many immune cells, your body will have trouble fighting off infections and other diseases.

You can get HIV from contact with the blood or other body fluids of a person who has an HIV infection. This usually happens through sex or sharing needles or other equipment used to inject drugs. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

AIDS is the final, most serious stage of an HIV infection. Without treatment, the amount of HIV in your body can increase. It can gradually destroy your immune system and become AIDS.

With AIDS, your body has trouble fighting off infections from germs that usually don't cause problems in healthy people. These are called opportunistic infections, and they can become life-threatening. AIDS increases your risk of developing certain cancers, too.

Most people with HIV don't have AIDS. If you have HIV, you can take HIV medicines that protect your immune system and help prevent you from getting AIDS. Medicines that treat HIV are called antiretroviral therapy (ART).

ART can't get rid of HIV completely, so you'll need to take medicines for the rest of your life. But ART can control HIV and help you live a longer, healthier life. Keeping your HIV viral load low is important for lowering your risk of complications with this type of infection.

Having regular HIV viral load tests is an important part of making sure your HIV medicines are keeping your viral load low, so you stay healthy.

Why this test is done

A viral load test is needed to guide treatment decisions. If you have HIV, you'll probably start taking HIV medicines soon after your diagnosis. But first, you'll need a viral load test to find out how much virus is in your blood.

This information helps your provider choose the right medicines for you. Your first test result will be compared with later test results to see if the medicines are working.

A viral load test is needed to see how well treatment is working and to monitor your HIV infection. The goal of HIV treatment is to reduce the amount of virus in your blood until there's too little to show up on a test. You'll need to have regular viral load tests to see whether your viral load is dropping enough.

HIV viral load tests are usually done:

• Before you start taking medicine
• About two to eight weeks after starting or changing HIV medicines
• Every three to six months to monitor your infection when your treatment is working well

Your provider may order an HIV viral load test to diagnose HIV if:

• You recently had a high-risk exposure to HIV. High-risk exposures include:
• Having vaginal or anal sex with someone who has HIV or whose HIV status you don't know
• Sharing needles, syringes, or other items used to inject drugs with other people
• Exchanging sex for money or drugs
• Having a sexually transmitted infection (STI), such as syphilis
• Having sex with anyone who has done anything listed above
• You had a recent possible exposure to HIV, and you have early symptoms of HIV infection. The early stage of HIV doesn't always cause symptoms. When it does, they may include:
• Flu-like symptoms, such as fever, chills, and aches
• Extreme fatigue
• Swollen lymph nodes (in your neck, groin, or armpit)
• Rash
• Sores in your mouth
• Muscle aches
• Night sweats

If you think you were exposed to HIV, talk with your provider right away about getting tested. You may also be able to have emergency treatment to prevent HIV infection within the first 3 days after a possible exposure.

How to prepare

You don't need any special preparations for an HIV viral load test. But if you are getting this test to find out if you are infected with HIV, you should talk with a counselor before or after your test so you can better understand the results and your treatment options.

Sample type

Blood

Other names for this test

nucleic acid testing, NAT, nucleic acid amplification test, NAAT, HIV PCR, RNA Test, HIV quantification