Question
Will ARVs still work if my partner’s CD4 count is 75?
5 September 2011. Related: All topics, Opportunistic infections, Starting treatment.
My boyfriend just recently found out that his CD4 count is 75 and the doctor told him that it’s too late and that the ARVs might not work.
– How true is that?
– And could I be the cause of his breakdown because I have been on ARVs for the past 4 months and he didn’t want to take the pills and continued to have sex without the use of a condom.
– Now he blames me and says I’ll be the cause of his death. Am I really?
Answer
Thank you for your questions.
It is not too late for your boyfriend to start taking treatment. The doctor is not correct in saying this. Studies have shown that people can start taking treatments regardless of how low their CD4 count is. Majority of people starting treatment achieve an undetectable viral load within about 3 months.
According to studies, with a CD4 count of 75, it is possible that your boyfriend could have been positive for a few years already. He is therefore not accurate in saying that you will be the cause of his death.
Studies have also shown that with treatment, people living with HIV can expect to live long healthy lives. It is therefore recommended that your boyfriend starts taking treatment as soon as possible.
As your boyfriend’s CD4 count is below 200, he could benefit with taking septrin. Septrin is an antibiotic that will protect him from getting Opportunistic Infections. These are infections that a person with a CD4 count of below 200, could easily develop.
Can A child born with hiv survive for up to 17 years without treatment and still be healthy and strong?
CD4 responses vary from person to person. Sometimes it can take a year to get above 50 or 100.
its been three weeks now on arvs and i still dont have appetite but my cd4 count was 4 when i started with treatment. how long does it normally take, i mean side effects
when your cd4 count was very slow.
No-one can predict how long any one person will live for, whether they have HIV or not.
We do have increasing evidence that treatment dramatically improves life expectancy. For many people this means they can plan to live a long and active life.
Many people have been taking treatment successfully for over 15 years. This includes people who started with a CD4 count under 100.
Please be very careful with adherence by not missing doses of your meds. The drugs can only work if you take them properly.
if cd4 count was 75 how many years the person live and if cd4 count was 500 how many years the person live start taking the art tablets
Hi
It is difficult to comment without knowing the details of your care.
However, if your son has not had an HIV test yet, he should have this as part of his care.
This would normally be routine for anyone whose mother is HIV positive.
There is no way you can know whether or not he has HIV without having the test. As he is now two years old, the is just the right time for the HIV test to be accurate.
When I was pregnant I tested positive and when I was 7 month they gave me a pill to take during labour pains. Now my son is two years strong and healthy, is it possible for him to be positive?
ARVs are best used as continuous treatment. This is especially the case for people who start with a CD4 count under 200, or even under 350.
This is because taking a break in treatment would undo all the benefits within a week or two. People who stop treatment quickly return to their pre-treatment CD4 level. It then can take many years to get these benefits back.
Starting treatment might not be for life though. there is always the chance that a cure might be found. Until then though, it is good to think about treatment as something you needs to be committed to at least for the next few years.
How long do i have to take ARV’s once i start my CD4 count is at 120 currently…
my viral load is 8 636 and what is my life style and my mental behaviour is some time correct and some time very worest and my count is 208 not yet to be tested but small boils are occured on my both legs and make ugly