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Avatar universal

CD4 tests

I'm actually in treatment for my Hep C and I don't have HIV.  My doctor recently began sending me for CD4 tests and when I started reading up on them, HIV came up quite a bit in connection with CD4 testing.  So I figured I would try posting here and see if anyone else gets these tests and what the significance of them are or whatever you can tell me.   My results came back at 200 then at 160 and I go again tomorrow.  They have me on prophylactic sulfa antibiotics at the moment as they tell me my numbers are low.  I've been told they'll pull my interferon if my numbers drop below 200 and my lymphocytes also drop below a certain number.  So far I'm safe and kind of hanging in there over the next while.  

Anybody have any knowledge with these tests and what they mean or anything to offer?  My apologies if this is not the right place to be posting.

Trish
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Avatar universal
This is not an HIV contern. Take it to another forum or see your doctor.
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Avatar universal
I have HCV and autoimmune thyroid disease.  So perhaps they're doing this for that reason as one autoimmune disease can sometimes predispose you to more and in rare cases, the interferon can lead to autoimmune hepatitis.

I was also interested to get a read on my CD4 levels.  If someone had 160 would they be concerned or no?  I've read that anything below 200 is cautionary.  Pulling my interferon is pretty drastic and I get results again tomorrow so I'd like to understand why and if it's really necessary to go to such lengths on those kind of CD4 results.

Does anyone do neupogen to boost their CD4 counts?

Thanks.
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Avatar universal
I should have also stated they are used to monitor anyone that is co-infected with HCV and any other diseases such as diabetes.
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Avatar universal
CD4 viral load tests are to montor those that HAVE HIV.
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