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 Donna,
I’m sorry, you’re daughter sounds very unwell.
Can you talk to the doctors about her treatment both for HIV and the other infections? If she has been on and off her meds for a few years the doctors can test for drug resistance. This can help work out what are the best HIV meds for her to take.
And the doctors should always make sure that meds for other infection don’t interact with her HIV meds.
Hi my daughter is in the hospital right now. The doctors have 10 different infections in her body. She is lethargic, they have not did CT on her brain yet. Do you think there may be lesions causing her to act so lethargic. Her CD4 count is 87 she has been positive for 11 years and on and off her meds.
Hi Selly,
It’s good that your daughter is on HIV meds (ART). Being on ART is the way that can help your CD4 count recover. Is her viral load test undetectable? The aim of ART is to get viral load to undetectable. Once that happens your CD4 count can recover.
Here’s a picture – from ART in Pictures – that shows what happens when you start ART.
Hi my daughter is hiv positive n on meds my biggest concern is that her cd4 counts drop dramatically what should be the problem
My brother is HIV positive and his CD4 count has dropped to zero.It was found that he has drug resistance and drugs were changed.Is there hope that he will recover?
Hi Morgan,
As long as your brother is on effective medication, then yes he’s got a chance of recovering. Given that his CD4 is zero, its very important that he receives specialist care and that he is given medication to prevent infections. Ideally he should be in a hospital.
Hi Rosina.
Are you on medication? If you are this will help the HIV. And yes you can live.
It sounds like you need to see a health care professional about the issues that you’re having, is this possible?
Hi I Rosina I am hi positive and my cd4 is 76, will I able to make I got the rashes on my elbows and around my knees it’s been 5 months and they don’t go away, a mouth infection and the headache
Hi Cosie,
If your brother has a CD4 of 16 he needs to be receiving specialist care. He also needs to be on ARVs. The ARVs will help him to recover, and for his HIV to become controlled.
Its very possible to recover when diagnosed with a low CD4 count. Following the following advice will help:
http://i-base.info/qa/4643
Hi,My lil brother is positive & has been diagnosed with TB last year December he’s very weak and his cd4 is 16 can he still make it?How do we boost he’s cd4 please help I’m desperate!