Question
What is the importance of a high viral load with a high CD4?
18 July 2007. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, Living with HIV long-term, Newly diagnosed, Starting treatment.
I was infected with HIV 10 months ago.
My CD4 count is stable at around 750. However my viral load is still extremely high.
What does that mean and what could be the consequences?
Thanks
English is not my mother language, for online purpose you may rephrase my question.
Answer
Hi
Thanks for your question.
First, I’d need to know what your viral load results are. The figure is important because the terms ‘high’ and ‘low’ often mean different things to different people.
Usually, a ‘high’ viral load is over 100,000 copies/mL.
Because you were only recently infected your immune system (which is strong because your CD4 count is over 500 cells/mm3) may still bring your viral load down without treatment, to a lower level.
If your viral load stays high, this is likely to mean that your CD4 count will drop a bit more quickly than average. A high viral load is an independent risk for HIV progression, so in discussion with your doctor, you may want to consider using treatment a bit earlier.
This still wouldn’t normally be recommended while your CD4 count is over 500 cells/mm3 unless you have any symptoms.
Hi Lisa, are you on treatment? and if you are have you been taking your treatment daily?
Have you been offered a second viral load test? As this is such a large jump you should be given a second test to confirm if this is an accurate result. The most common reason for apparent jumps in viral load similar to yours is lab error.
My name is Lisa last year my viral load was below 30 and my CD4 851, only to check it again this year and I was told that my viral load is 23000 and my CD4 865, please how possible is that I need help
Hi Shirley,
If you’ve been adhering to your meds it’s very possible that the 500 viral load could be a lab error. To know for sure you’re going to need to have another viral load test done.
Hi
I was diagnosed 2012 im on treatment i did my blood tests 2019 cd4 count was 789 and viral suppressed as i was advised by mu dr.this year 2020 tests were done at my local clinic my cd4 count 840 viral load it was 500 now i am confused.please help!
Hi Malilis,
Your viral load is undetectable so there’s no risk to your partner, please see here: http://i-base.info/u-equals-u/
Good day
Am 30yrs old dignosed with hiv 2014 april started my ART October 2018 by march 2019 my viral load was 45 now on october 2019 is 22..my partner is negative and we want to start a family, what are the risk of infecting him?
Hi Albert,
It’s good that you’re taking HIV treatment (ART). And that in the first year of ART your CD4 count went up from 100 to 274.
Sorry, but I’m not sure if you mean that your viral load is 1865 now, or when your started ART. What HIV meds are you taking? However, an increase in CD4 is good.
Focusing on your viral load sounds like good advice from your doctor. What does the doctor say about your viral load result?
Can you also ask your doctor to look at the sores and find out what’s causing them?
Hi, my name is albert and I was diagnosed with hiv + in 2009 and started taking treatment on 2016 and my viral load is1865 but cd4 was100 and after first 6 months it become 270 and 2nd 6 months came to 274 and thts where by my doctor told me tht they re not longer looking much at the cd4 bcos at times they remain low while patient is taking treatment good, now they re focusing on the viral load, must I not be worried? Since I developed sores tht can’t be treated or am I getting wrong medicaction for those sores?