Table of Contents
When does ART start working?
ART begins to work within hours. This is much faster than most people realise. Viral load drops dramatically and quickly in three phases. First phase – 1 to 2 days: During the first phase, ART blocks replication in short-lived CD4 cells that are actively infected. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a life-saving intervention in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Immune restoration after ART dramatically reduces the incidence and severity of opportunistic diseases and death. Once you have started HIV treatment your viral load should go down to undetectable levels (less than 50) within 3 months and you should start to see your CD4 count increase. It often takes longer for CD4 counts to increase especially if they are starting off low. Abstract. Background: Prognosis for patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) correlates with levels of CD4+ T cells. Initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) interrupts multiple points in the virus life cycle, causing an increase in CD4 cells. (22) A CD4 cell count performed at entry into care or prior to ART initiation will guide the decision on when to start ART and serves as the baseline if CD4 testing is used for ART monitoring. ART should be commenced in individuals with a CD4 count of ≤350 cells/mm3.
When does ART start working?
ART begins to work within hours. This is much faster than most people realise. Viral load drops dramatically and quickly in three phases. First phase – 1 to 2 days: During the first phase, ART blocks replication in short-lived CD4 cells that are actively infected. ART first stops active CD4 cells from making any more HIV. Viral load can drop by 90% within the first few days, and by 99% within the first few weeks. Viral load then continues to drop over the next few months. Many people become undetectable within a month and most within three months. Results: CD4 count continued to rise even up to 10 years after ART initiation, with the steepest increase in the first 3 months. High baseline viral load and low baseline CD4 count had the most consistent positive influence on CD4 count recovery rate across the 5 measured time points. Abstract. Background: Prognosis for patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) correlates with levels of CD4+ T cells. Initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) interrupts multiple points in the virus life cycle, causing an increase in CD4 cells. Viral load continues to rise and the CD4 count continues to fall. When the CD4 count is very low, the immune system is no longer strong enough to fight off infections. This causes serious illnesses. Some of these infections can be fatal. (22) A CD4 cell count performed at entry into care or prior to ART initiation will guide the decision on when to start ART and serves as the baseline if CD4 testing is used for ART monitoring. ART should be commenced in individuals with a CD4 count of ≤350 cells/mm3.