Question
Is my brother's infection progressing quickly?
13 May 2008. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load.
My brother recently found out he is HIV-positive. He is certain that he has caught hiv within the last year. He has had his 1st set of blood results back and his CD4 count was 250 and his viral load was 49,000. Does this sound as though the HIV is progressing really fast? I am so worried about him, and wish I could do more for him. Thanks in advance for any reply.
Answer
It is difficult to discuss whether your brother is a fast progressor or not based on a one-off CD4 count result. The CD4 counts can fluctuate seriously and that is why the trend is way more important than one particular result. Some of the factors that can affect the CD4 count are time of the day when the sample was taken, whether the person is under stress, whether he/she has any other infection at the time, smoking, lab error, and many others.
My suggestion is your brother to be closely monitored and to have a second test soon, so that if treatment is necessary, he could start ARVs as soon as he is ready. Having said that, treatment works, regardless of whether the person is a fast or slow-progressor as long as he/she is adherent to it. HIV-infection is a pretty much a chronic condition nowadays, but with its own specificities, of course. Your brother will be fine, I am sure.
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