HIV Elite Controllers — Can You Improve on Undetectable Viral Load?

Retrospective data from the HIV Research Network suggests that elite controllers have significantly higher hospitalization rates than patients with virologic suppression on ART.

A small proportion of HIV-infected individuals maintain HIV RNA levels below detection by contemporary clinical assays without taking antiretroviral therapy (ART). These “elite controllers” (ECs) have delayed progression of clinical disease but show greater immune activation and inflammation than individuals with viral suppression on ART (medical control).

To investigate the clinical effect of EC status, researchers reviewed data on HIV-infected patients receiving care at any of 12 HIV Research Network clinical sites to compare hospitalization rates between ECs and patients with medically controlled infection. Of the 23,273 patients included in the analysis, 149 were ECs. These individuals were more likely than patients with medically contro…

Reviewing Author

Charles B. Hicks, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardGilead Sciences; ViiV; Merck

RoyaltiesUpToDate, Inc.

Grant / Research supportNIH; Department of Health and Human Services

Charles B. Hicks, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardGilead Sciences; ViiV; Merck

RoyaltiesUpToDate, Inc.

Grant / Research supportNIH; Department of Health and Human Services

HIV Elite Controllers — Can You Improve on Undetectable Viral Load?

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Reviewing Author