Question

Will diet and exercise increase my CD4 count?

26 March 2012. Related: CD4 and viral load, Starting treatment.

My last cd4 count, taken 05/2011 was 453,and my most recent one taken last month came back as 280.

Now this has come as an extreme shock to me and hard to accept. I am not ready to start meds.

Can I re-take a cd4 test just for reassurance?

All my other previous ones have been above 500. Yes my diet has been beyond poor but what could be the main/possible cause for such a drastic drop?

Also need to know if I can boost it up by getting back on track with my diet and exercise?

Answer

Answer: Angelina Namiba

I can appreciate your concern about the drop in your CD4 count. This is not uncommon as the change could be due to any number of factors. Firstly, CD4 counts do generally tend to drop over time, especially if someone has not started treatment. CD4 counts also fluctuate (vary) depending on lots of other factors including lab errors and the time of day the test was done. There is, therefore, certainly no harm in re-taking the test for reassurance.

Your second question was whether you could boost your CD4 count through diet and exercise. Staying healthy by eating a nutritious balanced diet, excercising regularly, reducing stress levels, etc, can all help to maintain a healthy immune system. However, this will not necessarily increase your CD4 count.

In general, the only way you can increase your CD4 count is by taking ARVs (antiretrovial treatment for HIV). ARVs are the only proven way of increasing and maintaining a good CD4 count.

You mentioned that you are not yet ready to start treatment. The WHO (World Health Organisation) treatment guidelines recommend starting treatment with a CD4 count of 350  or less. Even if your confirmatory test indicates that you do not need to start treatment straightaway,  you may find it helpful to start preparing for when you will need to start treatment in the future. Our guide to An introduction to combination therapy answers a lot of questions you may have around starting treatment.

Good luck with the test.