That way, whether or not your CD4 count continues to rise, viral load should stay at a satisfactory level. There's more information about starting HIV treatment on another page. A test that measures the number of CD4 cells in the blood, thus reflecting the state of the immune system. When the CD4 count of an adult falls below , there is a high risk of opportunistic infections and serious illnesses.
Measurement of the amount of virus in a blood sample, reported as number of HIV RNA copies per milliliter of blood plasma. Viral load is an important indicator of HIV progression and of how well treatment is working.
An undetectable viral load is the first goal of antiretroviral therapy. The primary white blood cells of the immune system, which signal to other immune system cells how and when to fight infections. During your first months taking HIV treatment, your CD4 count will continue to be monitored regularly. Nonetheless when you are taking HIV treatment, your viral load is a more important indicator of your health and of the effectiveness of your treatment than your CD4 cell count.
After a while, your doctor may suggest checking your CD4 cell count less often. If you have had an undetectable viral load for at least a year and your CD4 cell count is over , your doctor may suggest monitoring your CD4 cell count once a year. If you have had an undetectable viral load and a CD4 cell count over for at least a year, then your doctor may feel that CD4 cell counts are not needed at all — so long as your viral load remains undetectable. However, if your viral load increased, or you had HIV-related symptoms, then your CD4 cell count would be monitored again.
CD4 cell counts can vary a lot between people. Your own CD4 cell count may go up and down in response to different factors such as exercise, lack of sleep or smoking. Rather than attach too much significance to an individual test result, it makes good sense to monitor any trends in changes to your CD4 cell count over time. If you have another infection, such as the flu or an outbreak of herpes, talk to your clinic about whether it is best to delay your CD4 count until you are feeling better.
If you get a result that is very different to that expected, your doctor may want to repeat the test to check whether the first result was a laboratory error. If nothing is done to slow or halt this destruction, it becomes unable to fight infections and you become ill. Antiretroviral drugs interrupt this process. The sooner you start to take HIV treatment, the sooner you can benefit from it. HIV treatment will strengthen your immune system, reduce the amount of HIV in your body and prevent illnesses from occurring.
With a CD4 count below your body is vulnerable to opportunistic infections. These are infections the immune system can usually prevent on its own but with a low CD4 count the immune system is not able to fight them off. Opportunistic infections can be very serious and cause potentially life-threatening illnesses.
To prevent the development of these infections you may also need to take antibiotics a treatment called prophylaxis. Once your CD4 count has increased to above , the prophylaxis treatment will be stopped. If you are already ill with an infection, you may start treatment for this before you start HIV treatment. A test that measures the number of CD4 cells in the blood, thus reflecting the state of the immune system.
When the CD4 count of an adult falls below , there is a high risk of opportunistic infections and serious illnesses. A disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. HIV treatment is highly effective. Many people's CD4 count will start to climb after starting treatment. Once your CD4 count improves, with continued treatment and care, your life expectancy is very good. Other factors, such as age, viral load, genetic make-up, lifestyle and quality of health care will also affect your future health and life expectancy.
This can mean they are at greater risk of becoming ill and of dying of HIV-related illnesses. They may also be at greater risk of developing heart disease and cancers. If this is the case, it is very important that you receive careful health monitoring so that any developing health problems can be detected and treated early. Why do I need a CD4 count? CD8 cells are another type of white blood cell in the immune system.
CD8 cells kill cancer cells and other invaders. This test compares the numbers of the two cells to get a better idea of immune system function.
What happens during a CD4 count? Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test? You don't need any special preparations for a CD4 count. Are there any risks to the test? What do the results mean?
Normal: —1, cells per cubic millimeter Abnormal: — cells per cubic millimeter. It means you have a weakened immune system and may be infected with HIV.
Abnormal: or fewer cells per cubic millimeter. It indicates AIDS and a high risk of life-threatening opportunistic infections. Rockville MD : U. Atlanta: U. Washington D. CD4 Count; [updated Jan 15; cited Feb 8]; [about 2 screens].
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; c—
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