newly pos

Apr 9, 2005

My dr is out of town and i got my result. Could yu help me. HIV 1 ultra 56842 log10es 1.5 hiv 1 rna 4.75 hiv-2 neg absolute t cell helper 270 % of 4 pos lymph 20.8 wbc 3.5 neutrophiles 1.5

Any help is appreciated. H

Response from Dr. Frascino

Hi Hi,

Being "newly pos" can be overwhelming. While your doctor is out of town, I suggest you take the opportunity to learn about HIV, HIV tests, treatment options, resources available to you and ways to improve your health. This site has some excellent information. Click on "Just Diagnosed with HIV" on the home page or go to www.thebody.com/learning.html for a menu of topics.

Hopefully you are under the care of an HIV specialist. If not, you need to establish yourself with one as soon as possible.

Your lab tests indicate your CD4 (T-cell) count is 270. This is low and in the range where HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) should be started. There are a variety of treatment options available that your HIV specialist will review in detail with you. Your HIV viral load is elevated at 56,842.

The T-cell count is a measure of the integrity of your immune system. In other words it assesses how much damage the virus has done to your immune system. The viral load test is a measure of viral activity. With HAART treatment your viral load should come down, hopefully to undetectable levels, and your T-cells should then correspondingly rise.

Good luck, H. Perhaps it would be comforting to remind you that I've been positive since January 1991. The chances are excellent that, if you work closely with an HIV specialist and adhere to your medication, you will respond well to treatment.

Get informed. Get involved in your treatment decisions. Get "well."

Good luck.

Dr. Bob