Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.I am resident of Mumbai City in India. One of my friends is HIV positive and her counts have fallen drastically in last 6 months. In previous tests done in the month of August 2005 the CD4 counts were more than 400, whereas the test conducted in March 2006 the counts have come down to 206.
Please advise us on the steps/precautions to be taken to improve the counts, as well as the therapies available. We have read lot of material on HAART Therapy and its positive results. Please let us know which is the best available therapy and ways to increase the CD4 counts.
Mark H. Katz, M.D.
Regional HIV/AIDS Physician Coordinator
Kaiser Permanente of Southern California
The decline in T-cell count calls for the institution of antiviral medications. There are many different medications used, with most starting regimens using 3 different drugs. You can check out www.aidsmeds.com for a complete report on each of the medications. Good news--any well chosen combination should cause the T-cell count to rise, perhaps back to where it was or even higher.
Some medications available in the U.S. are not in India, but perhaps the commonest ones used now in the U.S. are AZT, 3TC, tenofovir, FTC, lopinavir, and efavirenz. The most important step is for your friend to find a practitioner who treats other persons living with HIV, and who thus has the most experience.
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