Question
What should my next results be?
11 June 2013. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load.
I was diagnosed HIV positive in October 2010 and put on Attripla on March 2011 with a CD4 of 554 and VL of 31,072.
By June 2012 my CD4 was 670 and VL 80.
By December 2012, my CD4 was 680 and VL 51
I am due for my next tests end of this month, June 2013. In what range should I expect my CD4 count and VL to be if the meds are working fine for me?
Answer
Hi,
Thanks for your email. It sounds like you have had a very good response to treatment! The ‘normal’ range for CD4 counts without HIV is between 500-1600, so you can see your CD4 count is very good!
At your next test results you would expect your CD4 count to be about the same as the last time you checked. It may have gone up a bit, stayed the same or even gone down a little. CD4 counts fluctuate a lot and so long as your CD4 count hasn’t dropped dramatically you shouldn’t worry too much what the result is.
The most important test result when you are on treatment is your viral load. By now you would expect your viral load to be ‘undetectable’. This is the name given to any viral load result lower than 50 – the usual cut off for most viral load tests. If your viral load is undetectable it means that treatment is controlling your HIV and the virus is not able to replicate. This is very important while you are on treatment because it reduces the chance of developing resistance to treatment.
Our Introduction to combination therapy has lot more info about CD4 counts and viral loads. Please just let me know if you have any questions.
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