Why viral load?
One reason for choosing to measure viral load is that changes in this marker are supposed to be linked to damage to the immune system. That is, as viral load increases, CD4+ cell counts should fall and patients should normally be at increased risk of life-threatening infections or death. “Repeated measurements can be easily performed on each patient and changes in viral load accurately followed over weeks and months. Therefore only a small number of patients needs to be studied to obtain a repeatable result.” While there are a number of problems with this rationale, and “there are no published data from controlled clinical trials [of an anti-HIV agent] as yet,” an American group of researchers has recommended that regular monitoring of the amount of HIV RNA (viral load) be used to help doctors manage their HIV-infected patients. Information from several studies support that: “There is a reasonable belief that the more viral load is suppressed and the [longer it is kept suppressed], peo
