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Please Note: Due to volume considerations, not all questions can be answered. Questions most likely to be answered will be those of general interest to a broad group of visitors to this forum. Questions pertaining to a specific case; requests for diagnosis, medical advice, or second opinion; or requests for opinions about untested alternative therapies will generally not be answered.

The participation of Dr. Graeme Moyle in this Forum is made possible by Gilead Sciences.

Ask the Experts about Aging With HIV
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How low was I
Jul 1, 2008

I was diagnosed HIV+ over 1 year ago. Hospitlized with PCP my cd4 was 46 viral load well into the hundreds of thousands (I forget exaclty) I know 46 is low but how low? My cd4 numbers have risen to almost 550 and VL is undetectable and I'm feeling so much better today. Thanks for the great information at this website.

Response from Dr. Moyle

Well, normal is >450 so numerically your immune system was at 10% or less than normak capacity. It was low enough for you to get PCP, something that doesn't affect people with a healthy immune system. At CD4 counts below 50 most serious HIV events and most HIV-related deaths occur so all in all you were in a high risk situation. Congratulations on a great recovery....back to a normal range CD4 and an undetectable viral load should leave you planning for a long healthy future. However, the 'scars' of the PCP on your lungs and of your low CD4 on your immune system will be around for a long time to come. The longer your CD4 is high and viral load undetectable the better and better things will become Best of luck Dr Moyle



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