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Matters the person big time. Knew someone that did not take HIV Meds for over 15yrs and maintained a t-cell count of about 230. He never got sick and had plenty of energy but there was a catch. He ahas been a drug addict all his life. Any drug you can possibly think of he has been hooked on. Recently he got his self together and starteed taking MEDS recently he has gotten sick. There is alot to learn and alot that is not understood.
decease progression. So for me each person its different and each body reacts different if you RZ are HIV+ my suggestion is read more educate yourself and don't folow Dr's much because they still on the learning curve get to know your body better and take supplements HIV can decrease significantly your vitamin D and Vit D deficiency cause heart attacks and heart problems not the HIV same happens to Carnitine which is an enzime your brain need to keep working. Research more my friend good luck.
HIV could also install at your eyes and cause cytamegalovirus decease and that's why I got the eye exam everything came back healthy and clean and I hived at least for couple of years with HIV and no drugs. My viral load was never ever above 50k and some people get to millions or over 100k easy. Mine was only once at 44k and most of the time below 10k and we measured every 2 months during 2 years. That itself shows also that CD4 count its independent of VL something they use to say about...
According to what I have been reading on several websites they already discover that this HIV brain damaging its only in less than 1% of the people and they mention this people were already with some kind of problem that allowed the HIV take place in the brain. That said means most of the people will not have an brain related complications. I my self waited till my CD4 fell to 368 to start therapy and recently I did a CognScreen test and Ecocardiography and an eye Exam
What about HIV effect on brain and nervous system-there is evidence that the virus does damage there quickly after infection - damage that starting treatment as soon as possible might reduce. Also, 4-5 years is not a long time to follow these patients since people with HIV now expect to live normal life spans. What might be the longer-term benefits of starting treatment early - and, what might be the long-term side effects of the meds. Still so many questions. But I'd bet on starting early.
The major caveat associated with this study would be clearer if the opening sentence stated- 'Starting antiretroviral (ARV) therapy with a CD4 count above 500 doesnâ??t decrease the risk of AIDS or death from any cause over an average of 4.7 years of follow-up.' That duration of follow up is far too short to answer the question of whether waiting to start ART until CD4s fall below 500 is harmful or beneficial.
Christopher
Hit it early; hit it hard. If I was being attacked by 100 soldiers, wouldn't it make sense to eliminate 99 of them in one fell swoop, and wouldn't it make sense to make me less likely to transmit it to someone else?
October 13, 2011 • Toronto