Question
Would I get cold/sorethroat more frequently that I am HIV positive?
23 January 2012. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, Complications and coinfections, Opportunistic infections.
Would I get cold or sore throat more frequently that I am HIV positive? Would it be more difficult to shake it off? Should I walk away if I see anyone coughing? Would a cold develops into pneumonia? At what stage I should be alarmed and see my HIV doctor?
Answer
Firstly can I ask whether you are taking any HIV medication at the moment? And can you also please tell me your CD4 count and viral load too?
HIV positive people are not generally at any greater risk from colds and coughs just because of HIV. Like anyone, you would probably want to avoid these, but HIV itself does not seem to be the important factor.
If you are on treatment, then you should be healthy just like other HIV negative people. Being on treatment will help to stop the virus from replicating itself and this will increase your CD4 count. CD4 count is related to your immune system. It is only through HIV treatment that you will be able to increase your CD4 count and have a healthier immune system. If you immune system is strong, then it is less likely that you will catch cold, flu or sore throat.
Avoiding people who have cold or sorethroat is a good idea (if you are feeling unwell), however these illness are airborne diseases and you can catch them anywhere. Even if you take extra precaution, you can easily pick them up indirectly. If your immune system is weak, then this means that your CD4 count is low. Having a low CD4 count also means you are more susceptible to other opportunistic illnesses (OIs) such as pneumonia and PCP.
If you CD4 drops below 350 then you would need to start treatment (according to the UK guideline) and if its drops below 200 then you need to start treatment immediately. Your HIV doctor can run a CD4 count test to determine when you should start treatment.
Please take a look at this link for more information on CD4 count. Please scroll down and take a look at the 2 links found below the page (1.6 and 1.8). This will explain a lot about HIV interact with CD4 count.
Hi Trivay,
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