There is no one simple answer to this question. Many factors influence the decision to begin taking HIV medicines, including CD4 cell count, viral load, symptoms, concern about side effects and your ability to deal with them, and your ability to take the medicines correctly. The following recommendations are based on CD4 count, viral load, and symptoms, but people with HIV should keep in mind that personal factors are important, too.
Treatment is strongly recommended if:
• symptoms of HIV/AIDS appear; or,
• CD4 count falls below 200.
Treatment should be offered if:
• there are no symptoms, but CD4 count is between 200 and 350; or,
• there are no symptoms, and CD4 count is higher than 350, but viral load is higher than 55,000 copies/mL PCR. Some experts would delay treatment at this point, but would keep checking viral load and CD4 cell counts.
Treatment is not recommended if:
• CD4 count is higher than 350, viral load is less than 55,000 copies/ mL PCR, and there are no symptoms of HIV/AIDS. Most experts would not begin treatment and would continue checking viral load and CD4 cell counts.
