Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.Please, I need information about my daughter. She is in the last stage of AIDS. Her viral count is 130,000 the cd (I think its called) count is 4. How close is she to the end and what can I expect next? It is already changing her personality, she is weak and she is thin, very thin. She also say she is very dizzy and seeing double. Her eye doc cannot find anything wrong with her eyes. I need to know more. Please help me.
Dear writer,
I am very sorry to hear of your daughter's bad state, and I hope you are doing well, under the circumstances.
It's just not possible to predict the ultimate outcome of her disease based on a two laboratory values and without knowing anything about the time she's had the disease or what treatments she may have had in the past.
Certainly, 4 CD4 cells is low, but in some circumstances, people will live with this number for years. The viral load number you are giving is high, but not, all alone, terrifying.
These counts in a patient who had never been treated might correct with medication. On the other hand, in a patient who had failed all drugs, they could be consistent with a more serious condition.
I would sit down with your daughter's doctors and ask for what guidance they can give you. Only someone who knows your daughter's current state and clinical history can even attempt to predict what may be ahead for her, and for her family.
I wish you the best.
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