Q and A

Question

My CD4 is 355 off treatment, am I OK?

My last CD4 count was 355.

I am not on treatment, am I OK?

Answer

Hi,

Thanks for your email.

How long ago did you have this CD4 count result?

A CD4 count of 355 is good and suggests that your immune system is strong. Most guidelines recommend starting treatment when your CD4 count is around 350 or below, though, so it is likely that you should be starting to think about this. Has your doctor discussed starting treatment with you?

When your CD4 count decreases below 350 the chance of opportunistic illnesses and HIV related symptoms increases. You can read more about CD4 counts and risk of illness here.

12 comments

  1. Lisa Thorley

    Hi Prudence,

    This could be possible side effects, however your health issues could be due to a lot of other reasons. My advice would be to talk to your doctor.

  2. prudence

    I AM ALWAYS FEELING DIZZY, NOSEA, HEDACHE AND CONSTIPATED. IMA TAKING ARV WITH THE CD4 COUNT OF 365 SINCE DECEMBER 2017. CAN YOU ADVICE ME WHAT TO DO OR TO EAT.

  3. Roy Trevelion

    Hi Tammy, Your CD4 count tells you how strong your immune system is. But you can find out all the info you need from the i-Base Q&A about HIV testing and transmission here.

  4. Tammy

    Hi my CD4 is 369 does this mean I’m hiv positive.

  5. Lisa Thorley

    Hi Lerato,

    When someone starts meds, its very common that there will be side effects. In most cases these should go within a few weeks.

    Even if you’ve missed a week you can still restart your meds.

    Please see here for more info:

    http://i-base.info/guides/starting

  6. lerato

    Hey! i currently found out that am Infected with HIV with a CD4 count of 335 and i took pills for 4-5 days and I stopped them i have a week without taking them….. am i gonna be at risk or will be sick wen i start to take them again?

    *SCARED *

  7. Robin Jakob

    Hi,

    This is something to discuss with your doctor.

    Some people continue taking ARVs after their baby is born, especially if their CD4 count is still close to 350. You can find amore detailed answer to a similar question here:
    http://i-base.info/qa/8991

    And general information about HIV and pregnancy here:
    http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy

  8. Nwabosi

    I am a pregnant woman and my CD4 count is 369 can i a stop ARVs after delivery ?

  9. Simon Collins

    Hi Mayble

    Are you now back on treatment again? If yes, then you may be lucky and the short break did not cause problems. This is not a good way to use treatment though. Ask your doctor or health worker which side effect you need to watch out for. If you get these – or any others – please talk to your doctor.

  10. mayble

    I skipped two weekends of not taking my treatment and it is the very first moth that I started with the treatment. Are there any risks for me or should I worry about any side effects?

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