immun down VL down -no medication

[Ron_83]

hi. im new here and i have qustion
in my last meeting with my Dr she told me to think about taking the tretmant,im gonna meet here again in 6 weeks

my results are:
7/10 cd 615
2/11 cd 764 vl 13000
7/11 cd 532 vl 2980
3/12 cd 467 vl 1210

im not geting it how the vl is gowing down like that, but also the immun system..
anyway im gonna have another test in 6 weeks and see if still the immun syszem under 500 ill have to start taking the piils

can someone tell me if ots ok to start with the one piil a day
my dr told me that if ill start ill have to take it twich a day ( i dont know if its common in Germany- but i know i can get it in germany this day)

tnx alot for the help everyone.

[newt]

The viral load test has a big margin of error, ie 1 log, or in normal numbers a factor of 10, so 1,000 and 10,000 can mean the same. In your case, you need to divide the highest number by 3 and multiply the lowest by 3 to see if there is a real difference, and I would say your results, technically, means a level but low viral load. *

Also, the body does get to grips with the virus and find it's own balance. Sometimes it does well at controlling the virus for a (sometimes long) time, sometimes not. CD4 count is the guide to this, not viral load. Above 450-500 on CD4 is basically (statistically) normal.

It's the trend that counts.

Your CD4 count is good, and viral load by any measure modest.

US guidelines recommend treatment when your CD4 count falls consistently below 500, European ones when it's below 350. This is based on outcomes from 10s of 1,000s of people with HIV showing these are useful guides to when HIV is damaging yoiur immune system in an important way, ie increased risk of illness or death. The difference between the two sides of the pond is how experts interpret the small extra risk of illness when your CD4 count is 500 and when it is 350 (about 1.5% extra risk when CD4 count is 350).

 Hope this helps.

- matt

* to be strict divide by 3.3333333333333333....3 ie take 1/3rd of the number to find the lower possible limit of the test result. The margin of error on viral load tests is 1 log and 3 x 1/3rds = 1 (log). Using 3 is easier math.

[forrest]

Newt! You certainly seem to be the numbers/analytical guy!!  I have to somehow remember that!!