Is Virologic Control of HIV Possible After Treatment Interruption?

Some HIV-infected patients are able to sustain an undetectable viral load for 2 years or more after interrupting antiretroviral therapy that was initiated during primary infection.

During primary HIV infection, the lack of an ameliorating immune response often results in excessively high virus titers. Over the ensuing months, the evolving antibody response causes the viral load to settle at the so-called viral set point, which has important prognostic implications. Some researchers have speculated that initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) during primary HIV infection might protect vulnerable CD4-cell populations and therefore affect the viral set point, but this theory remains unproven.

Using the CASCADE database, which includes information on more than 25,000 patients with known dates of HIV seroconversion, researchers identified 259 patients who received ART within 3 months of seroconversion, achieved virologic su…

Reviewing Author

Helmut Albrecht, MD

Disclosures

Grant / Research supportHealth Resources and Services Administration; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Leadership positions in professional societiesColumbia Medical Society; South Carolina Infectious Diseases Society

Helmut Albrecht, MD

Disclosures

Grant / Research supportHealth Resources and Services Administration; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Leadership positions in professional societiesColumbia Medical Society; South Carolina Infectious Diseases Society

Is Virologic Control of HIV Possible After Treatment Interruption?

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Reviewing Author