Question
Does having psoriasis mean that your CD4 count is very low?
26 October 2009. Related: All topics.
My friend is HIV-positive and over the past 6 months has become covered from head to toe with psoriasis. He does not go for regular check ups and is not on treatment. Is this a sign that his CD4 is very low or could it be something else? I keep telling him he needs to get checked out but he thinks he is fine and the psoriasis is down to him being stressed at work.
Answer
Psoriasis on its own does not mean that a person has a very low CD4 count. It is well documented though that HIV-positive people are more prone to developing it, compared to HIV-negative people. This apparently may have a direct link to the condition of the immune system, but no definitive explanation has been given so far.
Having said that, it is of real importance your friend to start going regularly to the doctor, as this is the only way his infection will be monitored. It is unfortunate that if he leaves this for too late it will be really difficult, sometimes impossible for him to improve his health. Avoiding the doctor because of fear, resentment or negation is the best way to fall into this trap.
Finally, here is an article on psoriasis that he may find interesting.
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