Question
Am I doing okay after taking TB and HIV treatment?
9 May 2020. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, Complications and coinfections, Living with HIV long-term, Opportunistic infections, TB.
Hi
9 months ago I was diagnsed with TB (outside my lungs), I started medication and the medication was very effective. 3 months later, I decided to check for HIV infection and found myself positive.
My viral load was 110,000 and CD4 count 61. I immediately started HIV treatment (ART) with AZT+lamivudine and nevirapine. However I changed the nevirapine to efavrenz after 3 weeks, because I was suffering from severe rash. After 3 months from the start of my medication, my viral load dropped to less than 40 and my CD4 count jumped to 192.
Now after 6 months my CD4 count is 211. I have not yet checked the viral load. Am I going OK?
Is there any chance that I will go back to my prior situation?
Can there be any difficult time for me in the future? Can you tell me about the precautions I should take? I finished my TB medication about two months ago and am fine now.
Thank you for your help!
Answer
Hi there
Thanks for your questions and for included this important info to help answer them.
You are doing better than okay – you are doing really well.
It was important that you started HIV treatment (ART) and now have an undetectable viral load and such a good CD4 response. This shows that ART is working very well.
It is good that the TB meds worked well too. This means you can be really optimistic about the future. So long at you are careful taking your meds, you will stay well and your CD4 count will stay high.
As for other things you can do, the lifestyle advice for the general population is just as important if you are living with HIV.
This includes eating a healthy balanced diet including fruit and vegetables, avoiding excess alcohol or drugs (if you do), Â and keeping mentally and physically active.. This combined with adherence to the therapy will definitely lead to great results.
Further info
More details info on living well with HIV (including diet and exercise).
https://i-base.info/guides/side/lifestyle-and-quality-of-life
TB and HIV coinfection (from the i-Base training manual)
https://i-base.info/ttfa/5-ois-and-coinfections/7-tuberculosis-tb
UK (BHIVA) guidelines on HIV and TB coinfection.
https://www.bhiva.org/TB-guidelines
This answer to this question from October 2008 was updated in May 2020.
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