Q and A

Question

What is a normal CD4 count, CD4% and CD4:CD8 ratio?

Answer

After finding out you are HIV positive, your doctor will run several blood tests.

One will be for your immune system and will include your CD4 and CD8 count. Of these, the CD4 count is the most important main result but the CD4% and CD4:CD8 ratio are also sometimes useful.

This Q&A include information about these cels and about interpreting the test results.

CD4 cells are a type of blood cell that is part of your immune system. They are a type of white blood cell (lymphocyte). CD4 cells are sometimes called T-helper cells or T-cells

There are two main types of T-cells.

  1. CD4 cells, also called T4 cells, are “helper” cells. They lead the attack against infections.
  2. CD8 cells, (T8 cells), are “suppressor” cells that complete the immune response. CD8+ cells can also be “killer” cells that kill cancer cells and other cells that are infected by a virus.

CD4 and CD8 counts

The normal ranges for CD4 and CD8 counts vary depending on the lab and test. On average, the normal CD4 range for an HIV negative person is between 460 and 1600. This is an average. Anywhere in this range is good.

Although generally a higher CD4 is good, an HIV negative person with a normal CD4 count of 1200 is not more healthy than someone whose normal count is 400.

The exact CD4 count is not so important. CD4 counts can vary from day to day and even from hour to hour. So the general CD4 result is more important than the exact number.

A normal CD8 range is from 150 to 1000. This test is not used as much but the results come together. It is more important to know your CD4 count than your CD8 count.

CD4 percentage (CD4%)

If you get a CD4 count that is ever unexpectedly high or low, then your CD4% (CD4 percentage) can show whether this is a real change in immune function. The CD4% is a more stable marker than the absolute CD4 count.

The CD4 percentage refers to percentage of total lymphocytes that are CD4 cells. If your test reports CD4% = 34%, that means that 34% of your lymphocytes are CD4 cells.

The average normal CD4% for HIV negative adults is about 40%. However, as with CD4 counts and other test, the range for a “normal” result in an HIV negative person is also wide – from about 25% to 65%.

CD4:CD8 ratio

The CD4:CD8 ratio is also sometimes used, but less often. This is a measure of how balanced your immune function is. This calculated by dividing the CD4 result by the CD8 result.

In HIV negative people, the normal range for the CD4:CD8 ratio is between 0.9 and 1.9. This means that there are about 1 to 2 CD4 cells for every CD8 cell.

When not on HIV treatment, just like the CD4 count and CD4%, the CD4:8 ratio drops over time. Eventually, unless you start treatment, there will be more CD8 cells than CD4 cells (i.e. the ratio drops to less than 1.0).

The CD4:CD8 ratio might be better at predicting future risk in people whose CD4 count is high (above 500 cells/mm3). However, not all studies agree on this.

Other studies have shown that starting ART soon after HIV infection has a much higher chance of keeping the CD4:CD8 ratio higher than 1.0.

Note: this answer was last updated in January 2018 from a post that was originally published in December 2006.

330 comments

  1. Lisa Thorley

    Hi Simon,

    When a person is positive they are positive for life, so your wife is either positive or she isn’t. Having a healthy CD4 count doesn’t mean that someone isn’t positive. If your wife doesn’t think that she’s positive then she’s going to need to test. She should also have a viral load test done. If she is positive then she needs to be on medication. Also if she is positive and she wasn’t on meds when she had her first child, this child is going to need to be tested.

  2. Simon

    hi,

    am a male aged 35, when my wife got pregnant in 2014, we were advised to test for HIV and i came out Negative and my wife was told that she was positive and the nurse told her that she can start taking ARV’s drugs when she gives birth she can stop.

    however that advised was not satisfying to us and she did not take any medications and she never fell ill or show the symptoms of HIV but she had two test from another clinic and at the same clinic she can out Negative.

    Now this year she is pregnant and she was told verbally that she is Positive without showing her the test result and she was immediately given the ARV’s and Some anti biotic drugs and TB drugs to start taking without checking her CD4 count and after some weeks when she was given those drugs thats when they checked her CD4 count and it came out Normal as a Healthy person.

    So am confused because its like she is only HIV Positive when she is Pregnant and Negative when she Gives birth.

    Please help me with this situation

    Kind Regards.

  3. Mesach

    Thanks for this.

  4. Roy Trevelion

    Hi Marcelo,

    Unfortunately, we don’t have resources to answer more questions about HIV testing and HIV risks. But all FAQs are answered at this link.

  5. Marcelo

    My CD4 is 1190, and my CD8 is 1323. Ratio 0,9.
    Did an 4th G. HIV Test and came negative (6 weeks after Brief exposure). Should I be worried?
    I noticed that in 2015, I did the same tests and both CD4 and CD8 were even higher.

  6. Roy Trevelion

    Hi Harry,

    This is an HIV negative result. Please see this link.

  7. Harry

    Hi Friends
    My cd4 is 890
    Nd cd8 is 1326
    Nd ratio is 0.69
    Im hiv- plz advice

  8. Roy Trevelion

    Hi Lutho,

    Do you mean you want to start HIV treatment (ART) now? Do you have access to ART in the country you live in? Please let us know.

    Here is an Introduction to ART. There’s lots of info in this guide about starting ART. I hope this is a help.

  9. lutho

    I digitized hiv since 2006 I didn’t it any treatment because of my fear is wanted to start now

  10. Roy Trevelion

    Hi Gift,

    It’s good to hear you have not been ill, and it sounds like your ARVs are easy to take.

    A CD4 count of 784 is strong. But do you think you’ve been HIV positive since 2005? Usually HIV takes some time to wear down the immune system. People are more likely to get symptoms with a weakened immune system.

    You can ask your doctor about your viral load test from two weeks ago. And you can ask for another HIV test to confirm the result too.

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