Question
Will diet and exercise increase my CD4 count?
26 March 2012. Related: CD4 and viral load, Starting treatment.
My last cd4 count, taken 05/2011 was 453,and my most recent one taken last month came back as 280.
Now this has come as an extreme shock to me and hard to accept. I am not ready to start meds.
Can I re-take a cd4 test just for reassurance?
All my other previous ones have been above 500. Yes my diet has been beyond poor but what could be the main/possible cause for such a drastic drop?
Also need to know if I can boost it up by getting back on track with my diet and exercise?
Answer
I can appreciate your concern about the drop in your CD4 count. This is not uncommon as the change could be due to any number of factors. Firstly, CD4 counts do generally tend to drop over time, especially if someone has not started treatment. CD4 counts also fluctuate (vary) depending on lots of other factors including lab errors and the time of day the test was done. There is, therefore, certainly no harm in re-taking the test for reassurance.
Your second question was whether you could boost your CD4 count through diet and exercise. Staying healthy by eating a nutritious balanced diet, excercising regularly, reducing stress levels, etc, can all help to maintain a healthy immune system. However, this will not necessarily increase your CD4 count.
In general, the only way you can increase your CD4 count is by taking ARVs (antiretrovial treatment for HIV). ARVs are the only proven way of increasing and maintaining a good CD4 count.
You mentioned that you are not yet ready to start treatment. The WHO (World Health Organisation) treatment guidelines recommend starting treatment with a CD4 count of 350 or less. Even if your confirmatory test indicates that you do not need to start treatment straightaway, you may find it helpful to start preparing for when you will need to start treatment in the future. Our guide to An introduction to combination therapy answers a lot of questions you may have around starting treatment.
Good luck with the test.
Hi Gloria, I think your doctor may have meant viral loads is “less than 20” – sometimes written as”<20" although the "<" sometimes gets misprinted. If this is the case, then your viral load is undetectable. This is a very good things and means your treatment is working very well. As long as you keep taking meds in the right way it should stay this low. Ginger does not interact with HIV meds.
Hi. I am currently on treatment. I started March this year with a cd 4 count of 250 and viral load of 100 000 and last week the doctor sent my blood for testing and it came back saying my cd4 is 607 and viral load -20. What I want to know is that will eating ginger everyday affect my meds in any way. Is it safe
Hi Shiv,
Its great to heat that your CD4 has risen from 153 to 305. This means that your meds are working and working really well.
For info about CD4’s please see here:
http://i-base.info/qa/5740
Hi,
My current CD4 is 305 and the last year that is 153. Is this good? What’s a normal CD4?
Hi Jitendra,
Please see Q7 here:
http://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions
My last CD4 count was 643. I’m under ART now. If I stop to take my ART will I be healthy ?
Hi Tom, thanks for writing about your experience. How are you? It is really good that you were diagnosed before your CD4 count dropped any lower. It is also good you have started treatment – these meds are very good and will help your immune system becomes stronger again. Talking to other HIV positive people is also a great idea. The shared experience can really help – especially if someone else has gone through similar experiences. Nearly all countries have HIV positive organisations where you can talk on a phoneline or go to support meetings. There are also online web forums (see: http://www.poz.com) where lots of people support each other.
Which country do you live in?
Hi, as I tested and diagnosed as HIV possitive, my doctor decided to check my CD4 count. Days after,my doctor told it was only 36, so we started the ARV immediately even without the confirmatory. I just want to know if there is someone I could talk about it. A Friendly talk with the same situation. Thanks
Hi Deen,
Other then telling you to tell your sister that she needs to be on meds, I really don’t know what to say. Her CD4 is low. If she doesn’t re-start meds her health will suffer. Perhaps you could share this info with her?
http://i-base.info/qa/3560
And questions 2 and 7 here:
http://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions
My sisters cd 4 is 216. She was infected during 2007.in 2014 she leave medicine .so in 2 year cd 4 decrease 415 to 216.plese give me advice