International Conference on Contemporary Science and Clinical Pharmacy, 2022 | 24 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TIME OF USE OF ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY (ART) AND THE AMOUNT OF VIRAL LOAD IN ACQUIRED IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME Original Article DIAN AYU JUWITA 1 , YONANDA AINUL QALBI 2 , NAJMIATUL FITRIA 1* 1 Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy. Faculty of Pharmacy. Universitas Andalas. Indonesia, 2 Undergraduate Program, Faculty of Pharmacy. Universitas Andalas. Padang. Indonesia Email: najmiatulfitria@phar.unand.ac.id Received: 15 Nov 2022, Revised and Accepted: 05 Jan 2023 ABSTRACT Objective: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) remains a health problem in the world, including in Indonesia, with increasing residents of people living with HIV/AIDS every year. Viral load measurement is a better predictor than clinical or immunological measures to evaluate the success or failure of ART. This study aimed to fig. out the sociodemographic characteristics and the relationship between the duration of antiretroviral therapy and viral load in HIV/AIDS patients. Methods: A descriptive and analytic study with a retrospective approach was getting through in this research. There were 61 patients included in this study. Results: As many as 86.89% of men reported having HIV infection. The biggest risk transmission factor through sexual intercourse by 100%. The most commonly used antiretroviral treatment is TDF+FTC+EFV (Tenofovir+Emtricitabine+Efavirenz) by 50,82%. There were 17 patients and 44 with detectable and undetectable results, respectively (p 0.05). Conclusion: A statistical analysis of the duration of antiretroviral therapy and viral load concluded that the viral load decreases until it is undetectable with the longer use of ART. Keywords: Antiretroviral therapy, Viral load, Duration of ARV, HIV © 2023 The Authors. Published by Innovare Academic Sciences Pvt Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.22159/ijap.2023.v15s1.47502 Journal homepage: https://innovareacademics.in/journals/index.php/ijap INTRODUCTION Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is transmitted through sexual intercourse or by sharing injection equipment. However, It cannot be transmitted genetically from mother to child [1]. At the same time, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a clinical manifestation of the final stage of HIV infection [2]. This virus targets CD4 T cells and infiltrates CD4 cells by making more virus copies. As a result, there was a substantial reduction in CD4 cells in patients [3]. HIV patients who have not received therapy will continue to decrease the number of CD4 cells in their blood, lower the patient's immune system and increase the opportunistic symptoms [4]. According to WHO, an estimated 37.7 million people will live with HIV by 2022. More than two-thirds of them (25.4 million) are in the African Region and have claimed 36.6 million lives. Based on the statistical results of HIV/AIDS cases reported by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia in 2021, the cumulative number of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) found written up to March 2021 was 427,201 cases, while the cumulative number of AIDS cases reported up to March 2021 was 131,417 cases. Meanwhile, of the 12,923 people tested for HIV in West Sumatra Province, 94 people were living with HIV, and 75 were found to have started receiving ARV therapy [5]. Currently, there is still no drug that can kill the virus that causes AIDS. Still, treatment is used to suppress the replication of the virus in a person's body, namely antiretroviral therapy (ART), which can restore and strengthen immunity to fight opportunistic infections. Although antiretroviral treatment does not cure HIV infection, it effectively maintains viral suppression and reduces morbidity and mortality in patients with HIV infection [6]. Antiretroviral therapy aims to achieve a viral load as low as possible or below the detection limit, known as the undetectable viral load, usually with a combination of three or more highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) drugs [7, 8]. The viral load test calculates the amount of HIV in the blood of people with HIV. The viral load test can measure the amount of HIV quantitatively and is often used to determine the effectiveness of drug therapy used by patients, namely antiretrovirals [9, 10]. A test result that states an undetectable viral load is an expected test result. It is less probable that the virus will spread, so maintaining an undetectable impact after carrying out a viral load test gives hope to people with HIV [10]. In addition, the viral load test has been used to measure the potential for HIV transmission and to see the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy against AIDS patients [11]. Therefore, a study was conducted to determine the relationship between the duration of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and the viral load of HIV patients in Dr. M. Djamil Padang in 2020 and 2021. MATERIALS AND METHODS Research design The study was conducted through retrospective data collection through the medical records of HIV/AIDS patients in 2020 and 2021 at the VCT Clinic at Dr. RSUP. M. Djamil Padang. The criteria for the data taken were male and female HIV/AIDS patients aged 20 y with complete medical records. Ethical approval was acquired from The Health Research Ethics Committee of RSUP Dr. M. Djamil Padang No LB.02.02/5.7/36/2022 Data collection The patient's sociodemographic data is collected, including gender, age, education, occupation, and marital status. Data on risk factors for transmission in each patient were also collected to complement the sociodemographic study. Drug use data collected includes the type and combination of drugs, duration of drug use, and the results of the patient's viral load test Data analyze The retrospective data collection was performed with a descriptive- analytical approach. All patients receiving ARV were included in this study. Tests carried out to determine the relationship between the duration of antiretroviral use and the patient's viral load were using a linear regression test. In addition, a linear regression test was performed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS®). International Journal of Applied Pharmaceutics ISSN- 0975-7058 Vol 15, Special Issue 1, 2023