t4/t8 ratio

[blondbeauty]

Today I have been cheking all my labs since 1.999. and came across my first labas after diagnosis. My t4/t8 ratio was 0.5. What is the normal ratio?
Just curious.

[Tucsonwoody]

One article I read said this:

"normal ratios between 1.02 and 2.46"

Hope that is correct and that it helps answer your question.

Kevin

[woodshere]

My lab report that I got Monday had the normal range 0.92-3.72.

[Maestro]

Whenever I check my Uncles labs it shows his results with either an H (high) or L (low) next to the number if it is out of range and then in the second column in shows the normal range...I will have to check the ration when I get home...

M

[bocker3]

Just a word of caution to all when reviewing your lab results. 

Just because a lab result is outside of a "normal range" does not mean that it is not normal for YOU.  Most lab professionals actually prefer the term "reference range" for a number of reasons, including this one.

It is not at all unusual for someone with HIV to have a t4/t8 ratio that falls outside the reference range.  Reference ranges are generated from the "general population" and that means there are few, if any, HIV+ patients in the development of the range. 

This doesn't mean that you shouldn't ask questions about tests outside of ref. ranges, but this is why it is so important to go over results with your doctor so that he/she can help you interpret your results in a more holistic view of you and your health.  Again -- a result that may be of concern for one person, may not be for someone else. 

Hope this helps.
Mike

[Maestro]

Bocker,

Interesting point about the reference range.  What about cd4%?  Does that follow the same logic?  Or is that a direct result of the HIV infection?

Thanks,

M

[bocker3]

Hi Maestro,

I would say that the CD4% probably follows the same kind of logic, but with a bit more complexity, because it is a calculated result.  I'm no T-Cell testing expert, as Flow Cytometry was still very new when I left Hematology lab for the Andrology and Endocrinology lab (imagine working with semen all day), but I believe it is based on the absolute CD4 count and the White count and the number of lymphocytes.  So, if you're HIV+, it would not be surprising to see a CD4% outside the reference range (most likely "low"), but while that would be "not normal" for a negative person, it could be "normal" (or, at least expected) in a positive person.

Mike

[allopathicholistic]

Juan- This is from the Lessons section:

The T-Cell Ratio

The T4 Count divided by the T8 Count. Since the T4 count is usually lower than normal in people living with HIV, and the T8 count is usually higher, the ratio is usually much lower than normal. A normal ratio is usually between 0.9 and 6.0. Like the T8 cell count, nobody really knows what this low number means. However, most experts agree that once anti-HIV therapy is started, an increase in the T-cell ratio (i.e. a rising T4 count and a falling T8 count) is a tell-tale sign that drug treatment is working.

[Strayboy74]

Today I have been cheking all my labs since 1.999. and came across my first labas after diagnosis. My t4/t8 ratio was 0.5. What is the normal ratio?
Just curious.

My doctor told me that after seroconversion, lab numbers spike and become quite abnormal, but then they tend to even out.  I wouldn't worry too much about it.  It is entirely possible that it was a lab error, or one of these spikes. 

-joseph

[Eldon]

Now we have an idea of the normal range to look for. Thanks.