Hello,<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis.<\/p>\n
The question of when to start treatment is very individual. UK guidelines recommend that everybody should start treatment if their CD4 is around 350 or less.<\/p>\n
New guidelines also recommend treatment at earlier CD4 counts depending on the individual\u2019s personal situation.<\/p>\n
If you are coinfected with Hepatitis B or C you would be recommended to start treatment if your CD4 count was less than 500. Or if you presented with an \u2018AIDS defining illness\u2019 (such as Kaposi Sarcoma) you would be recommended to start treatment regardless of your CD4.<\/p>\n
An exciting addition to new treatment guidelines also recommend that people with a CD4 count over 350 should be able to start treatment if they are worried about transmitting HIV to partners. This is because of new evidence that shows that effective HIV treatment can reduce sexual transmission by up to 97%.<\/p>\n
As I said, deciding when to start treatment is very individual. Our recently updated guide to combination therapy<\/a> has the answers to many questions you might have about starting treatment.<\/p>\n