What is viral load?

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A viral load test measures the amount of virus circulating in your bloodstream at a given time. This gives us a better picture of how active your HIV infection is. High viral load values are associated with a more rapid progression to AIDS and indicate a need for more aggressive treatment. Additionally, the viral load will respond to changes in your medications within 2 weeks, so we can quickly assess how well the medicines are fighting HIV. Most people with untreated HIV infection have viral loads in the 50,000 - 150,000 range. Women tend to have lower levels than men. Effective treatment will get the viral load down by at least 90%, preferably to a value of less than 50.