Question
My CD4 count is stuck around 350
21 August 2013. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load.
Hi there I find your site very useful and informative so firstly Thankyou for being here.
I had a very rough seroconversion in May 2010 and was diagnosed in August 2010.
My CD4 was really low at 200 and 13% so my doctor suggested I start medication ASAP. I did and I was undetectable viral load in 6 weeks.
My CD4 has very slowly raised over the three years however us stuck between 350 & 32% to 310 & 29%. My doctor says some people naturally have a lower CD4 count and I have nothing to worry about however a lot of forums say near normal life expectancy is for those with CD4 between 350 and 500+ .
Can you please help as not sure if to get second opinion to what can do with a slow increase in CD4. I am 39 years old and the medication I started with is Atripla and am still on it! I have never missed a dose of medication.
Thank you for your help!
Answer
Hi,
Thank-you for your email. I am glad to hear that you find the website useful.
Your CD4 increase since starting treatment is good, and nothing to be worried about. Your doctor is right to say that there is a lot of variation in CD4 count between different people. There is also a lot of variation in the responses people have to treatment. This graph represents average CD4 count increases and you will see that your response is very similar to the average.
Changing treatment is unlikely to change the rate at which your CD4 count increases. The most important test while you are on treatment is your viral load. So long as this is undetectable this means treatment is working well and HIV is not able to do further damage to your immune system. Try not to worry too much about the CD4 count.
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