Thank you for your question.<\/p>\n
Please don\u2019t be scared. When to start treatment is a big decision and it is great that you are actively seeking the information you need to make that decision.<\/p>\n
You should speak to your doctor about a confirmatory test. It is important that you continue to monitor your CD4 and viral load results over the next few months to see what happens.<\/p>\n
There are several possible reasons for your sudden increase in viral load. Firstly there could be an additional underlying infection. Secondly it could just be a viral load \u2018blip\u2019 which is where a sudden increase in viral load is seen and then it goes back down again. Unfortunately we do not yet know what causes this.<\/p>\n
Finally it is possible that there was a mistake made with your lab results. The viral load test first multiplies the amount of virus found in the blood so that it can be counted. This means mistakes are easy to make. There is a 3-fold margin of error with viral load test which means that your results of 240,000 could be anywhere between 80,000 and 720,000copies\/ml.<\/p>\n
It is not usually the case that the higher the viral load the higher the risk of sickness. It is more the lower the CD4 the higher the risk of sickness as the CD4 count is measuring the state of your immune system. If the CD4 count is low then your immune system is also low and you are more likely to get sick. A CD4 count of 580 is still very good.<\/p>\n
When to start treatment is your decision to be made in consultation with your doctor. You should not feel that anything is a barrier to your starting treatment.<\/p>\n