What is an HIV viral load?An HIV viral load is a blood test that measures the amount of HIV in your blood. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is a virus that attacks and destroys cells in the immune system. These cells protect your body against viruses, bacteria, and other disease-causing germs. If you lose too many immune cells, your body will have trouble fighting off infections and other diseases.HIV is the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). HIV and AIDS are often used to describe the same disease. But most people with HIV don't have AIDS. People with AIDS have an extremely low number of immune cells and are at risk for life-threatening illnesses, including dangerous infections, a severe type of pneumonia, and certain cancers, including Kaposi sarcoma.If you have HIV, you can take medicines to protect your immune system, and they may prevent you from getting AIDS.Other names: nucleic acid testing, NAT, nucleic acid amplification test, NAAT, HIV PCR, RNA Test, HIV quantification
