Question
A quick drop in the CD4 count
10 October 2007. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load.
Hi! I was diagnosed in July 2007 with
Answer
Many things can influence your CD4 count.
These include: other underlying infections, stress, exercise, the menstrual cycle, use of contraceptive pills, time of the day when the blood sample was taken, temporary changes in concentrations of CD4 cells in different body compartments, or just a mistake in the lab, etc.
That is why the trend in CD4 results is more important than a one off reading.
As this is such a large drop though, it is a good idea to discuss with your medical professional a second reading both from the same sample and from a new one.
The percentage increase at the same time suggests that your immune system is still in a good state and that the change in your CD4 count is not significant.
Try and be calm until your next results
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