No link found between HIV levels and immune activation during antiretroviral treatment
Previous research has revealed links between elevated immune system activation and medical complications such as heart disease. Knowing why patients on antiretroviral drugs have elevated immune activation could help address or prevent such complications. However, the mechanism behind this elevated activation is unclear and actively debated. To gain new insight, Rajesh Gandhi of Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and colleagues in the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) tested whether elevated immune activation drives or is driven by the low levels of HIV still found in patients undergoing treatment. Using blood samples from people who took part in ACTG clinical trials, they measured molecular markers of HIV, immune system activation, and inflammation in 101 people before and during treatment with antiretroviral drugs for a median of 7 years. During treatment, the participants had undetectable levels of virus in the blood on standard commercial tests but HIV could still be detect...