Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.First of all, thanks for having a website like yours.
I have recently being tested HIV+, and the doctor asked me to take the viral load and CD4 count tests to see where I am. My CD4 count is 194, and my viral load is 22,000.
Two weeks before taking the CD4 I passed through an allergic process for which I took anti-allergic medication, and I was so stressed and nervous about the results, that I barely slept and I was eating very little. Can this affect my CD4 count? Should I take another test now that after more than a week I'm much more at ease, and I have being eating normaly?
Thanks again for your help.
Trevor Hawkins, M. D.
Associate Clinical Professor, Dept. Family Practice, University New Mexico
Medical Director, Southwest CARE Center, Santa Fe, NM
No, allergies are not likely to affect your CD4 count or your viral load to any significant degree. I would plan to start anti viral therapy ASAP.
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