Alere Pima™ CD4
CD4 Count
CD4 Count
The body’s immune response is co-ordinated by CD4 T-cells which circulate through the blood.
After a primary HIV infection, the virus directly attacks CD4 T-cells and starts to destroy them while using them as host cells for replication. Billions of CD4 T-cells may be destroyed every day, eventually overwhelming the immune system’s regenerative capacity.
Eventually, the progressive loss of CD4
T-cells results in the breakdown of appropriate immune response and the outbreak of opportunistic diseases, the pathological state of AIDS.
The CD4 T-cell concentration in blood is commonly referred to as the CD4 count and measured in cells/µL. In HIV infected individuals, total CD4 count is the most robust surrogate marker for immune competence.
Health practitioners therefore seek to routinely monitor the CD4 count to monitor disease progression and to gauge when
anti-retroviral therapy (ART) should be initiated. A change in CD4 count under therapy is the most important indicator of the response to ART and effectiveness of the treatment.
