Question
I am just diagnosed with a CD4 count of 10?
7 December 2011. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, Newly diagnosed, Starting treatment.
I’ve recently tested HIV+ and unfortunately my CD4 count came out at 10. I am not ill, but do i have the chance to live any longer.
Answer
Hi
As well as being HIV positive, your CD4 count is very low. Unless you were only infected very recently, this means your HIV is very advanced.
Using ARV treatment (ART) as soon as possible is important. ART will reduce the serious risk of HIV-related health complications.
The medicines will still work for you. There are many reasons to be hopeful and optimistic.
Because your CD4 count is uder 50 there is also a chance that other infections (called IRIS) might become active during the first few months of treatment. These are usuallly easy to treat, but tell your doctor about any new symptoms over the next months.
Also, please be very careful not to miss any doses of your meds. This is called good adherence.
Your doctor should also give you antibiotics to protect you from other infections. This is usually cotrimoxazole (often also called Septrin or Bactrim) which is a combination of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole. This treatment should continue until your CD4 count gets much higher (at least above 200, maybe above 350).
While your CD4 count is still below 50, including now, your doctor should also examine your eyes. This is to check whether a viral infection called CMV is affecting your eyes. CMV can cause serious and permanent vision loss.
For more information see this guide to starting treatment, called Introduction to ART.
If you were not expecting to be HIV positive, this will take a while for the news to sink in. It will get easier – and hopefully you will get a good response from treatment.
These two links might help:
Just diagnosed:
https://i-base.info/just-found-out
Who can I talk to:
https://i-base.info/who-can-i-talk-to
Note: This answer was updated in December 2016 from a question first posted on 13 September 2011.
Hi Kid,
Please see the following link:
http://i-base.info/qa/5740
I would like to know wat is a normal CD4 count b coz mine is 391 and HIV +
Hello Lovely Heart,
It’s great that you’ve gained weight, you don’t have colds or flu and that you’ve overcome pneumonia. But your CD4 count is now very low. It sounds like good advice from your doctor to have a drug resistance test. If you need to switch drugs you can talk to the doctor about what other meds might be good for you. And it’s always a good idea to tell the doctor if you’re taking other meds, such as antihistamines, in case they lower the dose of your HIV meds.
I’m taking Arv sine December 2016 my baseline was 14 because I got hospitalised for almost 2 mos bcuz of pneumonia I was treated and after 8 mos I was able to have cd4 count again and went down to 7 after 6 mos went down to 5 I feel good I can even go to work and I dont have any problem in eating I’m taking my meds regularly and now I’m waiting for the result today I’m praying for a miracle, do I have the new strain of hiv that is suceptible in drugs but I was able to overcome pneumonia because of strong antibiotics from nearly 40 kilos my weight went back to 55 to 56 kilos and from very thin because I lost my appetite now I love to eat and I can go to work everyday I don’t even have colds or fever for how many months now except for my rashes so I’m taking anti histamine and cream for my rashes please help me my doctor asked me to have a drug susceptibilities test but I can’t because I’m afraid and my brother is in Europe for training but once he come back depending on my cd4 result God help me
Hi Alvin.
Some people when they start medication may get a rash, if they do this is something that they need to talk to their doctor about. As your CD4 is 7, I’d expect you to be monitored on a regular basis to make sure that the meds are working. Is this something that’s going to happen?
Hi, I am HIV+ and was diagnosed 3 weeks ago and my CD4 count is 7. I am already on ARV therapy for 1 week now (2 weeks trial) and has prescribed Isoniazid, Cotri and Azithro for 6 months to prevent Opportunistic Infections. If I dont get any bad effect in my body like rashes while on ARV trial, does that means that ARV is working very good to me?
Hi Bala, It’s a good idea to talk to the doctor about your viral load result. Keeping undetectable allows your CD4 count to recover. And that looks like what’s been happening since 2015. Can you ask at the clinic to check this result and see if your meds are still working to keep your viral load undetectable.
Hi,I have been on ARV since 2015. Started with a baseline of 88 as my cd4. Subsequent test showed progress of 172, 238 as my cd4 count. However my last test showed 58. I have adhered strictly to my medication. What could be responsible for this. And I feel so good
Hi Vuyelwa,
I’m sorry, your brother sounds very unwell. And yes, TB treatment and HIV treatment can work to get him well again. But he can get best treatment from his clinic. They should know the way to treat HIV and TB. If he needs support to access treatment can you contact Treatment Action Campaign. They should be able to get him more local support.
Hi
My brother was diagnosed last week with HIV. He was diagnosed with TB.Today he found out his CD4 count is 71. Can he still get his CD4 count to go increase back up. He is coughing, very weak, not eating and sick. What can he do or how can he be best treated?