Question
How can my CD4 count increase and I am not on treatment?
9 March 2012. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, Starting treatment.
I just found out that I’m HIV positive during my pregnancy but my husband is negative. The first time I took test for my CD4 count they were 671 after a week I took the other one they came back 697 and mind you at that time I was not on a medication up until now as I’m waiting for the medical aid to send me the medication in the next coming 3 days. I just need a clarity on that how possible is that my cd4 count to increase if I’m not on medication.
Answer
I can understand that you are puzzled by the slight increase in your CD4 count, even though you have not started your treatment.
It is normal for CD4 counts to fluctuate. The fluctuation could be a result of many things such as the time of the day, exercise, how tired or stress you are and whether you have other infections like a cold or the flu.
The only way for you to increase your CD4 count is by starting treatment. There are no other products such as vitamins, supplement or herbal remedies, which can help to increase your CD4 count.
HIV medication works by stopping the virus from replicating itself. Once the viral load has been reduced (to less than 50 copies), then your CD4 count will start to rise again, but not normally to the level before infection.
Staying healthy by eating a nutritious balanced diet, exercising regularly, and stopping smoking can help to reduce stress levels. All of these can help to maintain a healthy immune system. This will not necessarily increase your CD4 count but it can help to maintain it.
There are a few factors that you need to know before starting treatment. I include a link for you on starting treatment:
https://i-base.info/guides/starting
Please take your time reading it and you have any further queries, do write back to me.
Can I ask, whether you are receiving prenatal treatment at the moment? If you do not have any, perhaps you can try contacting your local hospital for assistance.
It is important for the members of the health care team to have specialist experience with HIV positive women. They can give you the extra support throughout your pregnancy.
For more information on HIV and pregnancy, please follow this link to our guide to HIV pregnancy and women’s health
Hello,
I’m very sorry to hear about your sister’s recent diagnosis. A CD4 count of 14 is very low and it is important that she starts treatment as soon as possible. One reason why the doctor may be delaying treatment is because of the suspected TB. TB medication needs to be started before HIV treatment so it is important to find out if your sister has TB or not. When your doctor has this diagnosis they will have a better idea of the best way to proceed. Please follow this link for more information about TB treatment and HIV.
It is good that your sister has been given Ilvitrim. This is an antibiotic which is used to prevent infections which can occur when the CD4 count is low, including a type of pneumonia called PCP. This will help to stop her getting sick until she starts treatment.
Please let us know when you have seen the doctor again. Please also take a look at this link for information about starting treatment with a low CD4 count.
Hi There,
we just found out that my little sister in law (21) is HIV +, we accompanied her to the clinic to try and get her on treatment, they told us her CD4 count was 14 – strangely she doesn’t look like it. the clinic gave her ILVITRIM and some meds to help clear the thrush in her mouth. They say they suspect that she might have TB however with all her tests they showed nothin we even had to go to the hospital to get Xrays that showed no clear signs of TB, we still haven’t received the culture results. We went back to the clinic with the report from the hospital doctor, but they still refused to start her on meds and said we should wait another week for them to have their clinic doctor come through to give a 2nd opinion. We are all extremely stressed that they are just giving us the run around and we think its so that she deteriorates or they just don’t want to help! However the angel of hope keeps ringing that they might be doing the right thing.
Please help us, we’ve bought her LIFEGAIN Shake to try and help her and we encourage her to eat regularly and try to exercise – but she vomits her breakfast especially if it has milk and the Lifegain shake too! I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO TO HELP HER, i had so much hope but i’m losing it by the day
Hi Kgomotso,
Different guidelines suggest starting treatment at different CD4 counts. In the UK the guidelines recommend starting at 350. In the USA they say 500. Starting treatment at a higher CD4 count won’t make you sick and you should be able to do this if you want to. Please take a look at our guide to combination therapy for more information.
Hi I don’t know my CD4 count but will I get sick if I start treatment if my CD4 count is still 450?
Hello Jorrick,
Most guidelines- including those in the UK and South Africa- recommend starting treatment when your CD4 count is 350 or below. So if you were in the UK it would be recommended that you start treatment now. This is because with a CD4 count below 350 your risk of serious illness increases. This doesn’t mean you will definitely get ill, just that it is more likely. Treatment will protect your immune system and increase the chance of reaching a ‘normal’ CD4 level above 500.
With counts just below 350, you still have time to understand your choices. This is true even just below 200 when a few weeks either way will not make much difference. For more information about starting treatment you can read our Introduction to combination therapy guide online.
After reading the guide, if you have any questions please feel free to get back in touch.
Hi I just checked my cd4 count and its 337. Can I start treatment now?
Hi Faith,
Congratulations of the birth of your new baby boy! Can I ask if you are currently on treatment for your own health or only during pregnancy? A ‘normal’ CD4 count (without HIV) is anything over 500.
Hi, I founded out that I am HIV positive when I was pregnant in 2009. My baby gal was negative thanks to the AZT tablets and my CD 4 count was 931. Now 2012 on 3 April I gave birth to my baby boy! Do not worry I am finished now!! I didn’t loose to much blood though but I am waiting for the results of my boy! My CD4 count now is 671. is it good or bad?
Hi Marjorie,
I can’t comment on whether your CD4 will decrease between now and when you start treatment. It is likely that it will be decreasing but the speed at which this happens is different for everybody. A good indication of how fast your CD4 count is likely to decrease would be to look at how it has gone down at different readings since you were diagnosed. This isn’t conclusive though as other things -such as infections- may cause this to speed up or slow down. Between now and starting treatment the best thing you can do is to eat healthily, exercise and generally look after yourself.
I tested positive last year and I was only read to start medication now. My CD4 count is 337 and I am waiting for my viral load. I will be put on medication on 26th of April. In the mean time will my CD4 count be decreasing? Is there a way i can help it to be stable till I start medication?