Question
My CD4 count didn't go above 150, how long have I got to live?
12 April 2011. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, Living with HIV long-term.
How long do I have, honestly?
I have been diagnosed positive for just over 3.5yrs presenting at 35yrs of age with shingles and a CD4 count less than 05. My health has remained fairly stable since diagnosis, apart from 2 episodes of abnormal cell growth (Intraepelithial neoplasia PIN/AIN), but I have been unable to increase my CD4 count over 150 and the CD4 % remains low between 15-19% with HAART therapy.
I am just wondering, truthfully how long a person can be expected to live with constantly low immunity?
Everyone keeps saying to me ‘well, I could get run over by a bus tomorrow’ but this doesn’t help my situation, nor can this statement be compared to living with a long term condition.
Thanks in advance.
Answer
Thank you for your question.
Please do not worry, your CD4 count has increased considerably since your diagnosis. This is something to be pleased about. Having a CD4 count below 200 can mean you are more at risk of opportunistic infections. However, it is important to remember that everyone’s system is slightly different. Some people get sick when they have high CD4 counts whilst others have CD4 counts of below 100 and are feeling very healthy. Please read this section of our guidebook which focuses on what it means to have different CD4 counts.
Whilst you may be at slightly higher risk of opportunistic infections, if you lead a healthy lifestyle – don’t smoke, drink sensibly, sleep well, don’t get too stressed, eat healthily, get regular exercise etc then you could expect a near normal life expectancy and a good quality of life. Please read this similar question including the referenced article about life expectancy to learn more.
The rate at which CD4 counts increase is usually related to how low they got before treatment was started. As your CD4 count was so low to begin with it could take you much longer to see more of an increase in your CD4 count. For more information please read this article. As I said, this is not something to worry about. Once you are on treatment as long as your viral load remains undetectable then that is the most important thing to focus on.
Hi, was this an HIV test or a test for CD4 count? A test to determine if you are positive or not will not give information on CD4 count. For more information please see here: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/hiv-transmission-and-testing
Please can someone explain how to read hiv test results? My doctor gave me the results without no information this makes my case worse because this information is new to me. Please I need help on where to see cd4 counts help me please
Hi Amanda, it is good that your husbands CD4 count has gone up. How long has he been on treatment? and is he also taking an antibiotic? This is usually called co-trimoxazole. As long as your husband is doing well on treatment, aside from supporting him there is nothing further you need to do. The treatment will suppress HIV and help his body naturally recover his CD4 count.
My husband cd4 is 30 to 40 is he at stage 3 I want to help him
Hi Chris, no you do not need to be worried. It is great to see how well your medication is working – your viral load is very well suppressed. CD4 count takes time to increase and takes longer, the lower it was to start.
This is because unlike viral load which is suppressed, CD4 count needs to recover – this is something that can take time. Going up by as much as you have since February is very encouraging and is likely to continue. This link explains this further: https://i-base.info/guides/starting/cd4-increase
I was diagnosed in February 2022 and had a CD4 count of 40 and viral load of 818,000. My most recent test has my viral load at 30 and CD4 of 104. I thought since there was such a dramatic drop in VL, my CD4 would have an equally dramatic rise, but apparently not. My doc has me on 2 preventive antibiotics. I have not any illnesses, just have had bad skin rashes and intense itching, which has subsided since starting Biktarvy. Should I be worried about the low CD4 count.
Hi Danny, your viral load is great. There is no need for it to get below 20. Your viral load is considered undetectable and means you cannot pass on HIV via sex: https://i-base.info/u-equals-u/
CD4 count can take a lot of time to recover. It takes longer the lower your CD4 count was starting treatment. I imagine it feels upsetting that your CD4 count has only increased to 61 – but given that you started at 9, your increase in this time is really good. Both your CD4 count and viral load show that your medication is working really well.
Different countries will have different cut offs for when to take and stop Cotrim. It is okay to remain on Cotrim while your CD4 count is below 350. There not be long term side effects from taking it for as long as you need.
Your CD8 is still in a health range. The healthy range is 150-1000. This increase, has only remained within a healthy range. It is good in the sense that it is still in this range. The increase means nothing more than this.