Question
Will my CD4 rise to 500?
1 June 2017. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load.
Am HIV positive , I started my treatment 26 May 2017. My viral load is 36,000 and my CD4 count is 251.
1) can I still pick up my CD4 to above 500?
2) is the viral load the one causing the CD4 count to drop?
Thank you in advance. I’ve learnt a lot from here since I got diagnosed this earlier this month.
Answer
Thanks for getting in touch.
A viral load of 36,000 isn’t the reason why your CD4 is 251. Your CD4 is 251 due to the damage that the HIV has caused to your immune system. This will however improve now that you’re on treatment.
With regards to it increasing to 500. Its not possible to predict this. This is because your normal CD4 prior to becoming positive could have been less than 500. What’s important now, is that you continue taking your meds.
Hi Jorge, it is great to hear that you are on treatment. How long have you been taking Biktarvy for?
A viral load of 45 is excellent. It shows that treatment is working and HIV is not having an impact on your immune system. It also means that you cannot pass on HIV to someone else via sex.
Your CD4 count is a little low. Which country are you in? Some recommended being on an antibiotic called co-trimoxazole until you have a CD4 count of 350 or higher. This is to prevent other infections that you may be at risk of.
Unlike viral load which responds very quickly to treatment, CD4 count recovers slowly. Instead of treatment directly improving it, treatment is used to suppress HIV and allow the body to naturally recover its CD4 count. The lower your initial count was, the more time this can take. It is okay for only small increases over time but the longer you remain on treatment, the closer you will be to having a CD4 count in a healthy range (430-1690).
My cd4 are 251 my viral load is 45…
I take biktarvy 1 daily…absolute lymphocytes 36%