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Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: sdcabincrew74 on July 26, 2006, 01:27:25 pm

Title: Please help me understand....
Post by: sdcabincrew74 on July 26, 2006, 01:27:25 pm

Looking at my last two sets of labs, one from July 18th and one from April 18th,

In April - CD4 = 610 and the CD4 to CD8 ratio was 0.4
In July - CD4 = 410 and the CD4 to CD8 ratio was 0.5

Both times the viral load was <50.  I hate that I dropped but the change in the ratio, was that good or bad?

Thanks
John

Title: Re: Please help me understand....
Post by: lydgate on July 26, 2006, 02:24:25 pm

The higher the ratio, the better. A lower CD4/CD8 ratio indicates greater immune system damage or suppression. In HIV-negative individuals the ratio is almost never below 1. So, even though your absolute count was lower, your percentage and ratio were higher: that's good news! Jay