Correlation between cytomegalovirus (CMV) viral load and mortality rate in individuals with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)

Abstract

AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) stems from immune deficiency caused by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). CMV (cytomegalovirus), opportunistic in HIV/AIDS patients, is associate with mortality at elevated viral loads in individuals with AIDS. Objective: accomplish an integrative review to analyze the relation between CMV viral load and mortality rate in patients with AIDS. Methods: Usage of full review was made by following the said steps: theme identification and research questions structuring; definition of inclusion criteria; selection of articles based on scientific data; evaluation and analysis of selected studies; result interpretation and display of the final full review; insert method description. Result: High CMV viral loads are associated with elevated mortality in individuals with AIDS. Conclusion: It confirms the presence of a correlation between an increase in CMV viral load and an increase in the mortality rate of immunosuppressed patients, associates with viral loads ≥ 1000 copies/ml, marking this as a risk cutoff.