Question
My CD4 is 500, VL is 1000, is that bad?
21 January 2013. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load.
My CD4 is 500 and viral load 1000, should I be worried?
Answer
Hello,
Thank-you for your email. Can I ask if you have just been diagnosed with HIV? If you have, how are you coping?
Both of your test results are very good.
A ‘normal’ CD4 count for somebody who is HIV negative is between 400-600. In the UK HIV treatment isn’t recommended until your CD4 count is 350 or below. This is because while your CD4 count is above 350 your immune system is still strong, and you are very unlikely to become ill because of HIV.
Your viral load is quite low, which is good. The viral load isn’t such an important test result unless you are on treatment already.If you are not on treatment then the viral load result is not usually used to make any treatment decisions. The exception would be if your viral load was 100,000 or above, which can be a reason to start treatment.
If you are on treatment the aim is to reach a viral load of less than 50. This is usually achieved within 3-6 months of starting treatment.
For more information about CD4 count and viral load please see our Introduction to combination therapy.
Hi Mn,
I’m sorry to hear you have lymph TB and you’re HIV postive.
But treating TB and HIV can be complex. So please talk to your doctor about getting the right TB medication to go with your HIV meds. What does your doctor say about Bactrim? You can need special TB meds to treat your TB.
Please let us know how it goes.
Hey am taking Truvada and efavirenz from 3 months and i have lymph TB actually I have 2 question
1. My cd4 is 78 .. is TB or TB treatment affect on the CD4 count ?
2. Am afraid from dying with this low CD4 count .. am taking Bactrim to protect my self but am still afraid
Hi Lee,
When someone has an undetectable viral load they can’t transmit HIV. Please see here: http://i-base.info/u-equals-u/
Hi my name is Lee, my viral load is lower than detectable with a cd4 count of 680.
My partner is hiv negative last night a condom busted what are the chances of hI’m being infected?
Thank you
Extremely worried Lee
Hi Mimo,
Treating HIV and TB can be complex. So it’s important to discuss all this with your doctor.
However, many people have an undetectable viral load after 3 months of HIV treatment (ART). Undetectable means less than 50 cpoies m/L. But if you’re not undetectable it could depend on other things. Such as how high your viral load was when you started treatment.
But you can ask your doctor for a drug resistance test to see if your HIV meds are working well. And you can ask to switch to other meds to help reduce your viral load more quickly.
Hey am taking Truvada and efavirenz from 3 months my viral load after 3 months is 3340 and i begin to take TB medicine from one month so this viral load is good or i should worry .. my dr say its good for only 3 months with TB is that right ?
Hi Locia,
You shouldn’t be worried but it is a good idea to talk to your doctor about your viral load result. That’s because, after 6 months on ARVs viral load should be undetectable. That’s under 50 copies.
Please see this picture that shows what happens when we start taking ARVs.
Hovere, if your viral load was very high, and in the millions, when you started ARVs it can take longer than the average time to get to undetectable. But it’s a good idea to discuss this with your doctor to make sure the ARVs are working well.
My viral load is on 296 and CD4 360, I’ve been on ARVs for 6 months now, should I be worried?
Hi Jivann,
What does your doctor say? If you’ve been on HIV meds (ARVs) since 2010 your viral load should be undetectable.
Do you have access to your viral load results over the years of HIV treatment? It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor and ask why your HIV meds don’t look like they’re working well.
Please let us know these results. And also tell us what meds you’ve been taking.
Hi
My cd4 is 495
My viral load is 1213
I am on first line medicine since 2010.
Will I have to shift to second line medicine