Suppression of HIV -- regardless of CD4-cell rebounds -- is a predictor of reduced disease progression in people with virus resistant to multiple drug classes, according to a study by Italian researchers.

In the study, whose findings were published in the journal Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, people who achieved virology suppression were much less likely to develop an AIDS-defining condition or to die. Achieving HIV suppression below 50 copies per milliliter predicted AIDS-free survival, independent of other significant cofactors, which included higher CD4-cell counts and achievement of undetectable viral load.

The authors also noted that new drugs have made immunological suppression easier for patients to achieve.