The Effectiveness of HIV RNA Viral Load Testing in Determining Treatment Type in HIV-Infected Patients
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
1969-12-31
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
To evaluate, in HIV-infected patients whose baseline CD4 count is 300 to 750 cells/mm3,
whether an antiretroviral treatment regimen based upon clinical evaluation and CD4 counts
plus HIV RNA viral load is more effective than a treatment regimen based upon clinical
evaluation and CD4 counts without the use of HIV RNA viral load information. To assess
relative utility of viral load testing in determining therapeutic choice by the surrogate
marker of CD4 cell counts after 48 weeks of therapy.
It is hypothesized that among HIV-infected patients whose baseline CD4 count is in the range
of 300 to 750 cells/mm3, those patients who incorporate initial and periodic viral RNA
measurements in their therapeutic decisions will have higher CD4 counts after 48 weeks than
patients whose therapeutic decisions do not incorporate initial and periodic viral RNA
measurements.