Question
Is my CD4 count 'normal'?
18 July 2007. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, Starting treatment.
I would like to thank you for your help the last time I wrote as I was just diagnosed.
Well I got my results and my T cell count was 464 and my viral load was 41000.
I really think my seroconversion was last October.
I don’t know if my T cell count is normal. Although I know I don’t need to start treatment yet, could you give me any advice?
Answer
Hi
Thanks for letting us know how you got on.
Although you are worried about whether your CD4 count is normal what is important is your individual health.
The range of a ‘normal’ CD4 count in HIV-negative people generally ranges from 500-1600 cells/mm3 – but can be higher or lower – without this having any measurable impact on someones day-to-day health.
You will never know what ‘normal’ is for you, because you don;t know what your CD4 count was before you were infected. So monitoring is important, to build up a picture of how quickly or slowly HIV is affecting your blood results.
You have a good chance of not needing treatment for a while – enjoy this part of your life to the full. You will probably need treatment at some stage in the future – so learning a bit about it now will make it easier if and when your CD4 count shows it is a good idea.
The posts to these questions may also help:
Hi LB, CD4 are a type of cells that make up part of your immune system. The count refers to how many CD4 cells you have in your body. The lower the count the less healthy your immune system. The normal range is between 430 – 1690. As you have a CD4 count of 140 it means that your immune system has been damaged and that there is some risk for other infections as your immune system is unable to fight them off. Have you been offered an antibiotic called co-trimoxazole while you have a CD4 count this low? The antibiotic will help prevent other infections while your CD4 count recovers.
CD4count of 140 means.
What does a CD4 count means in laming terms.
Hi – I hope that your borther is now being treated with HIV drugs (ARVs). If do, then there is a very good chance he will recover and his T-cell count will increase and get much stronger.
There isn’t any way to know accurately how long he has been HIV-positive just from his T-cell count because people progress from infection to AIDS at very different rates.
Although most people might take 5-10 years for their T-cell count to reach this low, a few people can progress within 1-2 years and a few people might take 20 years.
My brother just went into the hosptial because he has seriously ill. He could not fight off the sickness and the doctors did a blood test and found out he has AIDS. His T-cell count is at 33. Is there any way of knowing how long he has had aids by his t-cell count?