Question
Hi, my cd4 count is 763. Do I still i need to take ART medicine?
1 May 2022. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, Starting treatment, Stopping treatment.
Hi, my cd4 count is 763. Do I still i need to take ART medicine?
Answer
This is a good question, although but the answer might be different depending on which country you are in. Also on other aspects of your health, and you don’t include this information.
The easy answer is that ART is now recommended for everyone, in every country, even with a high CD4 count. This is because detectable viral load when not on ART increases the risk of serious complications. These include heart, liver and kidney complications and some cancers.
Unless your viral load is undetectable now, this would be a good reason to start.
This also might depend on the first-line treatment in your country. For example, if this involves using the newer ART with dolutegravir rather than olfer ART with efavirenz.
If you are already on ART, then it is definitely better to stay on ART, even if your CD4 count was twice as high. Once on ART it is definitely better to stay on ART compared to stopping.
Another benefit of ART is that an undetectable viral load prevents any risk of sexual HIV transmission.
So, yes, there are good reasons for starting ART with a high CD4 count. This have health benefits to you and also protect sexual partners.
But a few people might still wait until the CD4 count is closer to 500, in order to have access to better medicines which be more more widely available soon.
Simon
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