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 Arlene,
Your CD4 count is strong and it’s in the normal range for someone who is HIV negative.
And your viral load is low. However, the aim of HIV treatment (ART) is to get viral load lower than this, and down to below 50 copies/mL.
We are not doctors at i-base so please talk to your doctor about your creatinine results. However, this looks like it’s in the normal range for kidney function.
But please talk to your doctor about whether your HIV meds are working as well as they should be. And let us know what your HIV meds are, and how long you’ve been on ART.
CD4 is 637 (high)
Viral load is 380 (low)
Creatinine 59 umol/L
is this good or bad
advise pl how to make it a healthy reading
even ti change my diet
Hi Nomaswazi,
Congratulations on the news of your new beautiful baby girl. It’s great to hear she tested HIV negative.
A CD4 count over 500 is considered normal for someone who is HIV positive. So it’s an indication that your immune is good.
However, the START study showed that HIV treatment has important benefits for your health even if your CD4 count is still high.
Please talk to your doctor about HIV treatment (ART). Starting ART can get your viral load to undetectable levels and keep your CD4 count strong.
For an explanation of HIV treatment please see ART in Pictures here.
Please let us know how you and your baby girl get on.
Hi. My CD4 is 560 and viral load is 1650. I’m not on treatment. I was diagnosed in 2013. I gave birth this year Feb to a beautiful baby girl and PCR results came back negative. Does this mean my immune system is good?
Hi Enough,
Your CD4 is good, and your viral load is undetectable, this means that your HIV is under control. You’re doing really well.
Hi
My name is enough I have been on art since 2013 n now my cd4 is 615 n viral is below 50.
is my cd4 safe?
Hi Willie,
Your CD4 count is actaully very high, this is a good thing. Your viral load is also excellent. Do you have any idea how long you may have been positive for? I’m asking as it isn’t common to have a viral load of 99 before starting treatment.
Just found out that I am HIV+, am on treantment for one week. My CD4 count is 1468 and viral load is 99, what does this mean?
Hi Ruth,
What’s your viral load now? Is it still 5000? What medication have you been changed to?
Tefintu
I have been on ARV’s for almost 7 years. My cd4 count has been good and the viral load was good. Actually at one point it was undetectable then i changed medication ifrom the ones of 3 times a day to the ones for once a day. My viral load went very high to over 5000 so they changed my medication. Should i be worried though i am not sick.