Question
What does a CD4 count of 254 mean?
6 July 2011. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load.
What does a CD4 count of 254 mean?
Answer
Your CD4 count is a marker of your immune system.
The results of how your CD4 count changes over time are used to interpret how HIV has progressed. One CD4 counts doesn’t tell you very much. This is because depending on how recently you were infected it might increase again or already be declining.
Your CD4 count is also used to decide when to start treatment.
- All guidelines recommend starting treatment when your CD4 count drops below 200.
- Most guidelines also recommend treatment when your CD4 count is below 350.
- Guidelines in the US and some Europe and Western countries include a recommendation to start even earlier.
For more information see this link.
Hi Darren,
It’s great that you’ve been undetectable for a year. It looks like your ARVs are working well.
HIV treatment (ART) can dramtically reduce viral load, even in the first few days. But for most people, CD4 counts are slower to recover.
And if your CD4 count is very low when starting ART it might never get above 500. Please see this graph on CD4 count increase on starting ART.
But the good news is that for many people, getting above even 200 will still reduce the chance of most HIV complications. What does your doctor say?
Hi my Viral load is undetectable and has been for the last year however my CD4 count is still low. It is sitting around 252 and has been for almost a year. should I be concerned?
If you are not currently on HIV treatment, then this viral load is still low. You probably won’t need treatment for a while because I expect your CD4 count is still high.
If you are on HIV treatment with a viral load that is this high, then your doctor should talk to you about whether there are options to change. This is because resistance can develop when you are on treatment with a detectable viral load.
If you only recently started HIV treatment, then your viral load may still be going down, and your next test will be important to see if this is the case.
General health advice is important for HIV-positive people: eat a balance diet, keep fit with some exercise, keep your mind and body active, reduce stress in your life, try to sleep and rest well, don;t smoke cigarettes, and if you like to use alcohol or recreational drugs only do this in moderation.
Dear sir,
At present my viral load is 8626 so what is risk it or lifestyle things to help?