Question
My viral load has gone from 20 to 50, is this a problem?
7 September 2017. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load.
Hi, my CD4 count has dropped from 1519 to 688, and my viral load went from less than 20 undetectable to 50 detectable. I’m currently on Tivicay and Truvada what is happening? I feel very tired drained.
Answer
Thanks for getting in touch.
The drop that you’ve had in CD4 might be more important than the viral load change. Over what sort of time period did this happen? Even then, your CD4 count is still good at over 500. If might be that the first results was a little high and the last result a little low.
Ask your doctor whether your CD4 percentage changed over this time. If this didn;t go down then the CD4 changes are just normal fluctuation.
Though your viral load has gone from 20 to 50, its still maybe just a lab error. Viral load tests are not very sensitive at low levels. For example, in the US, any viral load under 200 is still referred to as undetectable.
It is good for both tests to be repeated now so you get an early answer over whether anything has really changed.
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