Length of treatment

[Bliss68]

My husbands viral count went from 8 million to 10 thousand after only 4 weeks of treatment. His doctor told him he would have to  continue treatment for 48 more weeks. He has the 1A type and is in stage two. If his viral level returns to a normal level in the next few months why would he have to continue treatment for so long?

[jmjm530]

Whoops. There goes the mind :) With the proper math, the second example should have read:

"If it's non-detectible at 8 weeks he can cut that down to 44 weeks of treatment."

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

That's an EXCELLENT four-week viral load. Have the test repeated at 8 weeks and 12 weeks. As rev says, once it's non-detectible add an additional 36 weeks. So if it's non-detectible at 12 weeks then your husband treats for 48 total. If it's non-detectible at 8 weeks he can cut that down to 42 weeks of treatment. The reason treatment is continued past non-detectible is that the virus still remains in minute quantities. It takes that much time for the drugs to hunt down and kill every last virus. :)

"Non-detectible" defined by most studies means under 50 IU/ml. So make sure your doctor uses a test with at least that sensitivity.

Again, that test is very good news and hopefully your husband will have a successful outcome.

-- Jim