CD4 count measures the number of
CD4 cells in a cubic millimeter of blood.
Dr Mathai added: Normal values for
CD4 cells are 500-1200 cells/mm3.
The fluctuation in the CD4 count might be due to movement of the
CD4 cells between blood and tissue.
But the Smartscope will itself be able to do a
CD4 cell count - a measure of white blood cells, which determines when treatment starts.
One hundred and fifty patients with immunologic AIDS (
CD4 cell count <200 cells/[micro]l) who were not on anti-retroviral therapy were studied.
The study estimates that six months after infection, the
CD4 cell count of a person infected with HIV in 2010 was likely to stabilise at a level approximately 150 cells below that of a person infected in the early 1980s.
An HIV- positive individual is generally given drugs only after his/ her
CD4 cell count falls below 350 or he/ she starts developing symptoms of the disease.
With respect to
CD4 cells, the percentage of time the conservation group spent with counts lower than 350 cells/[mm.sup.3] fell from 31% before the study was modified to 23% at the end of follow-up.
A group at Purdue University is working on a stripped-down instrument that would count only
CD4 cells and rely on gravity to move certain parts.
A two time-point assessment of the
CD4 cells and viral load (baseline and exactly nine days after) revealed that the mean CD4 count of HIV positive patients with CD4 [less than or equal to] 200 cells/[micro]l at 9-day post-treatment visit was significantly lower than the baseline value (a decrease from 180 cells/[micro]l to 120 cells/[micro]l).
Low
CD4 cells in mums means greater risk of illness and death in their HIV-negative babies.
AIDS is characterized by the death of
CD4 cells (an important part of the body's immune system), which leaves the body vulnerable to life-threatening conditions such as infections and cancers.