Suppression of plasma viral load below 20 copies/ml is required to achieve a long-term response to therapy

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines state that the goal of antiretroviral therapy for HIV-infected individuals is to suppress plasma viral load (pVL) to below 400 copies/ml. METHODS: Predictors of achieving and maintaining pVL suppression were examined in a randomized trial of combinations of zidovudine, nevirapine and didanosine in patients with CD4+ T cell counts of between 200 and 600 x 10(6) cells/l who were naive to antiretroviral therapy and AIDS-free at enrolment. RESULTS: One hundred and four patients had pVL > 500 copies/ml at baseline and a pVL nadir below 500 copies/ml. Of these, 77 patients experienced an increase in pVL above 500 copies/ml. The median number of days of pVL suppression to below 500 copies/ml was 285 (42) for patients with pVL nadir < or = (>) 20 copies/ml (P = 00.0001). The relative risk of an increase in pVL above 500 copies/ml associated with a pVL nadir below 20 copies/ml was 0.11 (P = 0.0001). The relative risks of an increase in pVL above 5000 copies/ml associated with a pVL nadir below 20 copies/ml or between 20 and 400 copies/ml were 0.05 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.02-0.12] and 0.37 (95% CI, 0.23-0.61) respectively, compared with individuals with a pVL nadir > 400 copies/ml. Individuals with a pVL nadir < or = 20 copies/ml were at a significantly lower risk of virologic failure than individuals with a pVL nadir of between 21 and 400 copies/ml (P = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that suppression of pVL below 20 copies/ml is necessary to achieve a long-term antiretroviral response. Our data support the need for a revision of current therapeutic guidelines for the management of HIV infection.