In March, 1999 I tested negative for HIV (I also tested negative in October of 1998), on October 19, 1999, I tested positive during the symptoms of seroconversion. I had my blood work done on Nov. 4th. My doc thought my numbers would not be that bad since I was recently infected. However, I had a CD4 count of 294 and viral load of 100,000... My doc seemed surprised.... What does these numbers mean for a recent infection. My doc recommends aggressive treatment and we are waiting on my resistence test to come back. The only health problem I have had was a recent bout with Hep A in July... could that have affected by CD4 count.... I am stressed out about these numbers.

There is clearly a spectrum of CD4 count and viral load around and for the few months after seroconversion. First viral load. During acute infection, the numbers can range from the few thousands to well over 1 million/ml. With the development of antibodies, the range drops to <500 to 100,000/ml or a bit more. This is in large part a function of underlying genetics and immune function. The CD4 count does drop. Where it drops to is partially a function of where you started. A normal CD4 count range is fairly wide from 500-1500. If you started on the low normal end (a function of your total white blood cell count, percentage of lymphocytes, and the percentage of those that are CD4 cells) you can see a 25-50% drop from 500 leaves you much lower than if you started at 1100. You can see this better by looking at the CD4 %. If your percentage is still above 30-35%, you are in good shape even though your absolute number is low. If your percentage is say 20%, then you have lost a significant percentage of CD4 cells.

MH