Guangzhou, October 10 (Reporter Cai Minjie) Through standardized and effective drug treatment, the HIV viral load can be controlled at a very low level, and when patients reach long-term viral suppression, they can also return to a healthy life.
Cai Weiping, chief expert of the Infectious Disease Center of the Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, said in a recent interview that at present, with the continuous promotion of HIV epidemic prevention and control measures in China, HIV infection prevention and control has shown a good trend, and most infected people are expected to achieve long-term survival after long-term standardized antiviral treatment.
The risk of HIV transmission is closely related to the viral load in infected patients, and HIV viral load detection is an important means to test the effect of antiviral treatment, and it is also an important basis for the adjustment of clinical treatment plans.
Nowadays, HIV viral load testing "up to standard" is highly valued. With the continuous advancement of medicine and innovative drugs, more and more people with HIV have turned their wishes into reality - the viral load tested for more than 6 consecutive months is less than 50 copies/ml, which is commonly known as the HIV viral load "up to standard".
Cai Weiping said that from the perspective of infected people, in the process of antiviral treatment, there is still a relatively high risk of drug resistance to control the viral load between 50-200 copies, therefore, it is recommended that infected people should try their best to control the viral load below 50 copies, which can basically achieve the level of complete inhibition of the virus, to a certain extent, can reduce the risk of drug resistance and hypoviremia in infected people, and from the national public health level, it is also beneficial to control the spread of the HIV epidemic.
Reduced viral loads, direct beneficiaries of HIV-infected people, can maximize the preservation and restoration of immune function, thereby reducing AIDS-related morbidity and case fatality. At the same time, low viral load reduces the risk of sexually transmitted HIV, as defined as "continuously undetectable" = "not contagious" (U=U).
"The concept of U=U is limited to sexual transmission." Cai Weiping reminded that even if the viral load is below the current most sensitive detection lower limit of 20 copies/ml, HIV can still be transmitted through blood. For example, during blood transfusion, the cells and plasma in the blood will be transfused at the same time, and the HIV virus in the cells will still be infected. "Therefore, just 'meeting the standard' of HIV viral load testing does not mean that AIDS is cured, and infected people still need to adhere to standardized antiviral treatment for a long time to achieve continuous inhibition of viral replication and long-term treatment success." He said.
"The most critical point in achieving the antiviral therapy test standard is in terms of viral suppression, and the viral suppression test reaching less than 50 copies is the 'standard' mentioned in the new version of the guidelines." Li Linghua, director of the Infectious Disease Center of the Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, said that for infected people, if the viral load in the body can reach less than 20 copies, it means that a better antiviral treatment effect has been achieved.
Li Linghua suggested that infected people should go to the hospital regularly for virus testing after receiving antiviral treatment, preferably once every three months. In addition, for newly infected people, supported by state funds, three free antiviral testing opportunities will be provided before receiving treatment, six months of treatment, and one year of treatment. At the same time, a free drug resistance test will be done before treatment to increase the frequency of virus testing and help infected people carry out timely and effective antiviral treatment to achieve virus suppression. (End)