Sudden rises in HIV levels no concern, report says

Sudden jumps of HIV levels in patients taking drugs for the AIDS-causing infection are harmless blips and do not mean the treatment against the virus is losing its punch, a report said on Tuesday.

"These results should provide relief to hundreds of thousands of HIV-positive patients in the United States currently taking drug therapy, called highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) ... and reassure them that their medications have not failed," said Robert Siliciano, a doctor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who was involved in the study.

The study from the Baltimore institution published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association found that the blips are mathematical variations stemming from the test used to gauge the amount of virus in the body.

The researchers said they analyzed blood samples from 10 HIV-positive patients, taking samples every two to three days for three months.

A statistical analysis found that blips occurred in nine of the 10 patients and typically lasted less than three days. The tests found no mutations taking place, the study said.

"The lack of any consistency among the tests performed on blood samples confirms that there is no danger from these blips in viral load," said the study's lead author, Richard Nettles.

"These blips can be attributed to random statistical artifact inherent in measurements of very low amounts of virus," he added.

The authors also said the blips do not warrant changes in the course of drugs being taken by patients.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association, February 16, 2005.