Abstract

Background: The degree of viral suppression in HIV patients who start antiretroviral therapy (ART) with very high viral loads (CV) is unknown. Aim: To know the percentage of viral suppression in HIV patients who start ART with CV ≥ 500,000 copies/mL at 96 weeks. Method: Retrospective study. Patients who started ART with a CV ≥ 500,000 copies/mL between 2008 and 2018 were included, stratifying on the basis of a logarithmic scale. The percentage of viral suppression and the variables associated with this outcome were determined. Results: 221 patients were included. The median age and CV were 43 years and 6.0 log, respectively, with the majority (37%) being in stage C3 at the start of ART. 48.8 and 87.7% of the patients achieved viral suppression at one year and two years of follow-up, respectively. It was observed that the older the immunosuppression, and the higher CV, the longer the time to achieve undetectability. Virological failure was only demonstrated in three patients. Discus-sion: Patients with HIV infection who start ART with very high CVs take longer to achieve viral suppression, which is proportional to the magnitude of this and the degree of immunosuppression, without this entailing a greater risk of virological failure.