Question
Can you get infections after starting treatment while your CD4 is still low?
18 April 2008. Related: All topics, Opportunistic infections, Starting treatment.
hello,
I feel very optimistic when ever i read you answer more thanks for that sir/madam.
I was diagonesed last dec 2007 with CD4 20 and viral load 1,000,000 but this month my results were CD4 count 97 and VL 63.
My questions are:
Is it possible to still bet infected with opportunistic infections while I am on meds? and, can my cd4 rise from this number to 350 or what can i do to increase my CD4?
Answer
Hi
Thanks for writing and letting us post the answer online.
It is good that you are now on treatment, and the response you have had is really good.
It will probably take a bit longer for your CD4 count to get to 200, which will dramatically reduce the risk of most infections. This may take a year or more and is normal for someone starting from a low CD4 count.
You are still theoretically at risk from some infections, until your count gets higher, but your risk from complications is much lower now you have started treatment.
It may actually be better that your CD4 count rises gradually, rather than jumping up to over 200 very quickly, and this may reduce the risk of immune reconstitution syndrome (also called IRIS).
There isn’t much more you can do to help your CD4 count rise. Taking your meds, eating a balanced diet, getting rest and exercise and reducing stress etc are all important – but it is because your viral load is now so low that your immune system in now able to repair itself and get stronger.
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