Q and A

Question

I am just diagnosed with a CD4 count of 10?

I’ve recently tested HIV+ and unfortunately my CD4 count came out at 10. I am not ill, but do i have the chance to live any longer.

Answer

Hi

As well as being HIV positive, your CD4 count is very low. Unless you were only infected very recently, this means your HIV is very advanced.

Using ARV treatment (ART) as soon as possible is important. ART will reduce the serious risk of HIV-related health complications.

The medicines will still work for you. There are many reasons to be hopeful and optimistic.

Because your CD4 count is uder 50 there is also a chance that other infections (called IRIS) might become active during the first few months of treatment. These are usuallly easy to treat, but tell your doctor about any new symptoms over the next months.

Also, please be very careful not to miss any doses of your meds. This is called good adherence.

Your doctor should also give you antibiotics to protect you from other infections. This is usually cotrimoxazole (often also called Septrin or Bactrim) which is a combination of  trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole. This treatment should continue until your CD4 count gets much higher (at least above 200, maybe above 350).

While your CD4 count is still below 50, including now, your doctor should also examine your eyes. This is to check whether a viral infection called CMV is affecting your eyes. CMV can cause serious and permanent vision loss.

For more information see this guide to starting treatment, called Introduction to ART.

If you were not expecting to be HIV positive, this will take a while for the news to sink in. It will get easier – and hopefully you will get a good response from treatment.

These two links might help:

Just diagnosed:
https://i-base.info/just-found-out

Who can I talk to:
https://i-base.info/who-can-i-talk-to

Note: This answer was updated in December 2016 from a question first posted on 13 September 2011.

139 comments

  1. Lency

    Plizzzz can you help me?? I have been positive I know from this month… Do, when I’m in ICU before I take the ART they have given me Bectrim and from today I have taken the medicine.. And my cd4 count is 395

  2. Lisa Thorley

    Hi Jr,

    ARVs can be used to treat kaposi sarcoma, as the following link explains: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/kaposis-sarcoma/ Biktravy is an ARV, so yes this could be used.

    Though your CD4 count is very low, it is possible to recover. This will be possible due to the ARVs. Your immune system is however very weak, ideally you should be getting specialist care as well as following the advice in this link:https://i-base.info/qa/4643

  3. jr

    I was just diagnosed and my CD4 count is 9 I have about 400,000 in viral load. I also think I may have contracted Kaposi sarcoma due to herpes. I had biopsies done on 5 different spots and I’m scared to death. Does Biktarvy help with KS? Or should I start getting used to the idea of dying..

  4. Lisa Thorley

    Hi Micheal,

    If you’ve been off your meds for the last 9 months, the best thing to do is to book an appointment to see your doctor. Ideally they should check your CD4 count as well as viral load. They should also talk to you about your treatment options. You may still be able to use the meds that you were using before. However, you may need something else.

  5. Micheal

    Hi am Michael,am HIV+ since 2014 and just passed 9 months have not taken any treatment,I need to restart can I just go ahead or first being tested?coz I have been living healthy wise fit without any complaints until todate.

  6. Roy Trevelion

    Hi Yusuf,

    It’s good to hear you’ve started taking ARVs. The START study showed that HIV treatment has important benefits for your health.

    Unfortunately we are not doctors. So it’s important to talk to your doctor about your stroke and neurological disorder.

    You can ask for your HIV treatment and other conditions to be treated together. You can make sure that the doctors work as a team. That can help your chances for a better future.

    What ARVs are you taking? And do you have access to your viral load and CD4 count? Please let us know.

  7. Yusuf

    Hi ,

    Am HIV positive .I then started taking treatment (ARVs) now its about a year since i stated taking ARVs .

    However i was also diagnosed stroke with neurological disorder.Do i have chances for better future?

  8. Lisa Thorley

    Hi Vero,

    If you’re feeling weak, you need to discuss this with a doctor.

  9. Vero

    O. Arv but getting weak am worried please help

  10. Roy Trevelion

    Hi Boyet,

    Sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis. However, using ARV treatment (ART) as soon as possible is important if you have a CD4 count of 186. ART will reduce the risk of HIV-related health complications.

    What does your doctor say about starting ART?

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