What if I am a slow progressor?

A small percentage of people have a very strong immune response to HIV.

People whose CD4 count stayed above 500 for five years without ART are called long-term slow progressors (LTSPs). If viral load also stayed undetectable, they are called elite controllers (ECs).

ART is still recommended for the roughly 5% of people who are LTSPs or less than 0.1% who are ECs.

This is because HIV might be progressing in ways that are not shown by your CD4 count and viral load.

Last updated: 1 October 2019.