Any delay in diagnosis and treatment gives the virus a chance to reproduce, form mutations, spread in the immune system, and freely destroy CD4 cells. Therefore, getting diagnosed and starting treatment early are critical in preventing resistance. The goal of therapy is to keep the virus from reproducing. Preventing reproduction reduces the chance for mutations and resistance to develop. High viral load.
Viral load is the amount of virus in the body at any one time.
Viral load can be determined by measuring how much HIV is in the blood. HIV-1 RNA level . A high viral load means that the virus is reproducing unchecked. The more virus there is, the more chance there is for mutations. The more mutations, the greater the risk that resistance will develop.