T cell count and viral load
A T cell count tells the number of CD4 cells in your blood. A "normal" T cell count falls somewhere between 800 and 1200 CD4 cells per microliter of blood. Viral load testing tells how much of the virus is in your bloodstream. When viral load goes up, T cell count goes down. A rising viral load means that HIV is multiplying quickly and may be destroying more of the CD4 cells that protect you from infection. When this happens, you may begin to feel tired and run-down, and you may be at risk of getting other infections more easily.
When viral load goes down, there is less HIV in your blood, which means that your T cell count may increase. An increase in your T cell count is important because it makes you less likely to become seriously ill. When your viral load gets so low that it cannot be measured by blood tests, it is called "undetectable." An undetectable viral load does not mean that HIV is gone or that you are cured. It only means that the amount of the virus in your body is below the limit that the test is able to detect. Currently, there is no known cure for HIV infection.
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