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CD4+ Count

(continued)

What To Think About

The pattern of CD4+ counts over time is more important than any single CD4+ value. CD4+ counts typically decrease as HIV progresses.
Your doctor may look at your CD4+ count and your viral load to help decide when to start antiretroviral treatment. The CD4+ cell count is often done with viral load testing to measure the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy. The viral load test measures the actual amount of HIV in the blood, which is a good indicator of how well medicines are controlling the HIV infection. In some cases, viral load testing may be done instead of the CD4+ count. For more information, see the topic Viral Load Measurement.
Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) may help your immune system if you develop certain illnesses but still have a good CD4+ count.
Because total CD4+ count can vary throughout the day, many doctors also monitor the number of CD4+ cells in the total number of lymphocytes. This measurement is called the CD4+ percentage.
Another measurement that may be used is the CD4 count (T helper cells) in comparison with the CD8 count (T suppressor cells). This is called the CD4/CD8 ratio. All of these measurements can help determine the effectiveness of HIV treatment.
Testing for HIV infection is a different test. For more information, see the topic Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Test.

Citations
Pagana KD, Pagana TJ (2010). Mosby’s Manual of Diagnostic and Laboratory Tests, 4th ed. St. Louis: Mosby Elsevier.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2009). Guidelines for the use of antiretroviral agents in HIV-1-infected adults and adolescents. Available online: http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/contentfiles/AdultandAdolescentGL.pdf.
Hammer, Scott M, et al. (2008). Antiretroviral treatment of adult HIV infection: 2008 recommendations of the International AIDS Society USA Panel. JAMA, 300 (5): 555-570.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents (2011). Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-1-Infected Adults and Adolescents. Available online: http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/ContentFiles/AdultandAdolescentGL.pdf.
Other Works Consulted
Fischbach FT, Dunning MB III, eds. (2009). Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests, 8th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Pagana KD, Pagana TJ (2010). Mosby’s Manual of Diagnostic and Laboratory Tests, 4th ed. St. Louis: Mosby Elsevier.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2009). Guidelines for the use of antiretroviral agents in HIV-1-infected adults and adolescents. Available online: http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/contentfiles/AdultandAdolescentGL.pdf.

By	Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Peter Shalit, MD, PhD - Internal Medicine
Last Revised	May 18, 2011

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WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise

Last Updated: May 18, 2011

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information.