CD4+ Count: What To Think About

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What To Think About

• The pattern of CD4+ counts over time is more important than any single CD4+ value. CD4+ counts generally decrease as HIV progresses.
• Your doctor may look at your CD4+ count and your viral load to help decide when to start antiretroviral treatment. The CD4+ cell count is often done with viral load testing to measure the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy. The viral load test measures the actual amount of HIV in the blood, which is a good indicator of how well medications are controlling the HIV infection. In some cases, viral load testing may be done instead of the CD4+ count. For more information, see the medical test Viral Load Measurement.
• Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) may help your immune system if you develop certain illnesses but still have a good CD4+ count.
• Because total CD4+ count can vary throughout the day, many health professionals also monitor the number of CD4+ cells in the total number of lymphocytes. This measurement is called the CD4+ percentage.
• Another measurement that may be used is the CD4 count (T helper cells) in comparison with the CD8 count (T suppressor cells). This is called the CD4/CD8 ratio. All of these measurements can help determine the effectiveness of HIV treatment.
• Testing for the HIV infection is a different test. For more information, see the medical test Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Test.

Last updated:	March 01, 2007
Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS
Reviewed By:	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine, Peter Shalit, MD, PhD - Internal Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer