thanks for all the fantastic support n information you guys provide.

i'm a 54yo hiv+ man diagnosed in spring '06 i am not yet on any HAART regine..and had been planning to stay that way based on my new stress-free, exercise-rich, and , mostly, good nutritionally, lifestyle

my cd4 counts have been in the 4-500 area while vl was creeping towards 100K.

after a recent chest infection my last numbers were a suprise cd4 594 vl 370K. any co9mments you may have on this anomalous result would be most welcome.

i am wondering if now is the time to start on meds.

does the high vl have any independent consequences? i'm thinking specifically of the danger of hiv-induced dementia. i hope this does not duplcate others' postings.

thanks for your help. long may you and The Body continue

Another ongoing infection can certainly cause the viral load to increase transiently like that. Given your relatively normal CD4 count, there is no urgency to start HIV meds. But a persistent viral load > 100,000, even with a normal CD4 count, would make one recommend starting treatment sooner rather than later.