Does stress have any effect on cd4s?

[Sera]

The reason i am asking is because for the last two months, i have been under tremedous stress from parenting  my 18 year old son. So i was surprised today when i  got results from blood work i did last week because my numbers had  improved; cd4 from 162 to 400, viral load from 594 to 386, and % from 41 to 36. I am not complaining about it, just wondering.

[tednlou2]

Congrats on the improvement!  I've always heard some people actually thrive on stress.  I still think most only have negative results from stress.  But, you probably just started meds?   

[leatherman]

starting in the month of march back in 2007 while my partner went through 60 torturous days in the hospital with cancer and AIDS, while I dealt with the house, the dogs, and driving back and forth through a weekend long blizzard on my 46th birthday, for the first time in 17 yrs of meds, my cd4s (at the high range of my normal 250) and viral load stayed stable. And even after he passed away (on may 1st, coming up on 3 years ago very soon), after I had to beg for money for his cremation, after the car was repossessed, after I lost his family home, and after I finally got the dogs and me moved into a new house and started our new life without my partner, my counts still stayed stable. Why even the average of puking 6 times a month that had been going on for 5 years stopped while I dealt with all those issues and heartache in the hospital and has never returned. Now after fighting off homelessness twice in the last 3 yrs, moving from Ohio (leaving behind 25 yrs of my life, my friends, and my two late partners -one buried and other's ashes sprinkled on that same grave)  back home to the Carolinas to live at my mom's house and having just turned 49, my counts are still stable. 

Yes, stress can be detrimental sometimes; but not always.
I'm glad to read such good numbers for you.
Best wishes and continued good health!

[Inchlingblue]

There have been studies showing that stress can adversely affect the immune system. It probably varies among different individuals. I think in my case I dropped 300 T cells in about a month, after diagnosis, before starting meds due to the fact that my stress was out of control.

With prolonged stress, high levels of the hormone cortisol are released. Cortisol has been found to have an immunosuppressive effect.

If you Google "stress cortisol immune" there's more information.