Pre-treatment CD4 Count Predicts CD4 Gains on Treatment

October 30, 2007

By David Evans

The higher a person’s CD4 count upon starting HIV treatment, the higher their CD4 count will be 60 months later, say British researchers at the 11th European AIDS Conference in Madrid.

Rachael Hughes, MSc, of the department of social medicine at the University of Bristol in England, and her colleagues analyzed data involving 4,559 patients participating in the U.K. collaborative HIV Cohort (UK-CHIC), all of whom had maintained undetectable viral loads for at least six months after starting HIV treatment. Data were available for 631 patients who had been followed for greater than 60 months.

The research team found that CD4 gains were universally good among all of the patients in the study, regardless of their starting CD4 count. Those who started treatment with the lowest CD4 count, between 0 and 100, had the largest gains of up to 379 cells, while those who started with the highest, 500 and above, had the least gains, roughly 100 cells.

However, the average CD4 count 60 months after starting treatment was 100 cells lower among those who started treatment with CD4 counts between 350 and 499, compared with those who started with between 500 and 749 cells.

While these data suggest that people who start HIV treatment earlier will, on average, do better immunologically than those who start later, they also illustrate that almost all patients, regardless of their starting CD4 counts, can expect robust CD4 increases as a result of treatment. This research also concludes that CD4 gains are most noticeable during the first few months of treatment but do continue even after a year of treatment.

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David Evans, AIDSmeds.com - New York, NY, 2007-11-02 16:34:10
Dear Mike, Like the article posted here on Oct 27 about the PICASSO study , a fair number of people who originally went on triple combination therapy in studies back in 1994 and 1995 are still doing very well. In terms of "burning" in the feet, that can be a symptom of peripheral neuropathy. This can be due to antiretroviral drugs, HIV itself and diabetes. You should definitely talk to your doctor about this.

joseph r porter, monroe, 2007-11-01 16:36:05
i am a h.i.v. for 7 yrs. my cell was 174. so i was rode a bike everyday with a right food. and also went to work a part time. for 4 yrs later i got 543 cell cd4. i think the workout is best for cell going raise. i feel real great health! keep workout on daily.

Kaka John, Kampala, Uganda, 2007-11-01 05:34:46
That is a very interesting research result that needs to be communicated especially to the medical practitioners in the developing world. The common stand this end is that one is not recommended to go on HAART until the CD levels have fallen low (I think to the below 250 level) even if one is financially capable of paying for the treatment. Otherwise, well done. and God Bless U!

mike lilema, Lusaka, 2007-11-01 02:18:37
Up to how many years can someone who is on treatment continue to survive. Can some one who is not showing any signs of AIDS,remain looking healthier with no symptoms in His/Her life even when he is on ARVs. Does HIV infection the major cause of Inching/Burning under the feet apart from lacking Vitamins as well? What exactly casues the intching/Burning under the feet

Richard, Elmhurst, NY, 2007-10-31 13:54:47
I am amazed and grateful - my t-cells were undetectable in August of 2001 ... now 6 years later as I approach my 65th birthday my T-CELL COUNT IS NEARLY 600! Early on I was told that I should be happy if the count reaches 200