Question
When should I start my treatment?
8 March 2012. Related: All topics, Newly diagnosed, Starting treatment.
I am HIV positive. Recently, I had my CD4 count, which was around 290 and the doctors said that ARV treatment has to start. What is the actual deadline for starting the medicines?
Answer
When people with HIV start their treatment usually depends usually on the strength of their immune system after being infected by HIV.
Your CD4 count is used as a marker to indicate when to start treatment. Here in the UK, guidelines recommend people with HIV start their treatment when their CD4 count starts to drop below 350.
Since your CD4 count is slightly below the recommended level, this is a good time to think about starting your treatment. This is the same reason why your doctor told you to start your treatment.
As your CD4 count gets lower (especially when less than 200) the risk of other infections and complications (called opportunistic illnesses or OIs) increases. This does not mean that you will be infected by OIs, it just means that the risk increases.
This link is to a guide about starting HIV treatment. It talks about deciding when to start, the choice of drugs, the importance of adherence and worries about side effects etc.
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