Smoking Is Even More Dangerous To Individuals With HIV Than Those Without

If you have HIV and are a smoker, you now have another reason to quit. In recent research done by Syed Kadri at Ohio State University Medical Centre, patients with HIV were found to be twice as likely to experience a decrease in lung function.

The immediate effects of quitting smoking are:
*Within 8 hours, carbon monoxide levels drop in your body and oxygen levels in your blood increases.
*After 2 days, your sense of smell and taste begin to improve.
*Within 2 weeks to 3 months, your lungs work better making it easier to breathe.
*After 1 to 9 months, coughing, sinus congestion, tiredness and shortness of breath improve.

An excellent resource for those who would like to quit, as well as for those who don’t, is the Canadian Cancer Society

How do you feel about being positive and continuing to smoke? Is more information or support needed to assist you break the habit? Be well!

Interpretating Your Lab Results, Viral Load

Viral load is the term used to describe the amount of virus in your blood ( # of HIV RNA copies per millilitre). The more HIV viruses that are in your blood, the faster your CD4’s will be depleted and your risk of disease and illness will increase.

When first infected with HIV (sero-converting), your viral load may be around 100,000 or more. This will soon drop to around 10-30 thousand until you start HAART. If your HAART regime is working, your viral load should fall to “undetectable” within approximately 3-6 months. This means that you have less than 40 HIV RNA copies per ml of blood. One of the goals of HAART is to keep that viral load at “undetectable”. You can expect to have lab tests anywhere from every 1-6 months once your viral load has stabilized.

We’d love to hear your questions about your viral load, or any other lab results that you may receive. Until next week, be well!

Interpretating Your Lab Results, CD4 Percentage

This is the second in a four-part series on understanding you lab results.

CD4 percentage answers the question of what percentage of all blood cells are CD4’s? A normal CD4 percentage is approximately 40%, a CD4 percentage of 20% or less is an indicator that HAART should be initiated. Some doctors believe that CD4 percentage should be used in place of CD4 as it is potentially more active, although not as perceptive to smaller changes . In Canada, our doctors receive the CD4 percentage on the same lab form as the CD4 so we do have access to both.


Do you keep track of your lab results? If so, how do you do it? Next week we’ll discuss viral load. Until then, Be well!

Interpretating Your Lab Results, CD4

This is the first in a four-part series on understanding you lab results.

“CD4 cells” (“T-helper cells”), are white blood cells which initiate the immune systems response to bacterial, fungal and viral infections. The CD4 count is the number of CD4 cells in a cubic milliliter of blood. (CD4 cells/mm3). A normal CD4 count is anywhere from 500-1,600. After being infected with HIV, our CD4 count will generally drop by approximately 100 cells annually. When your CD4 count is lower than 350, your immune system is weaker and you may get opportunistic infections, current treatment guidelines now suggest starting HAART by this time.

We'd be happy to answer any questions you may have about your lab results. Please drop us a note. Next week we’ll talk about CD4 percentage. Be well!

Coping With HIV

A recent study done in the UK found that the top four needs of HIV positive individuals were all related to mental health. Anxiety/depression, self-esteem, sleep and sex, pose the largest problems to the most people. The study also found that the largest and most often used resources for these problems were friends and family.

Living with HIV is for most people one of the hardest things that they will do in their life. Thanks to science and research, we can now expect to live pretty much as long as those without HIV, but it does take some work. Doctors and clinicians can help with mental health problems, but most of us can get significant help and support from our friends and family.

How do you cope with mental health issues due to being HIV positive? Your friends are always a great place to start.

HIV and HPV

Genital Human Papillomavirus or HPV is a common virus which is spread by skin to skin contact. There are over 100 different strains of the virus, and at least 30 strains have been directly related to cervical cancers and anal warts. Transmitted during sexual contact, HPV can take years to show symptoms, and sometimes no symptoms will develop. The most identifying symptom is a cauliflower-like growth on the genitals, anus or vagina.

HPV in not a curable illness, but treatment can relieve discomfort, and when infected, a person should take note of any new sores as they appear and bring it up with one’s doctor. Evidence suggests that HIV infection may play a role in the outcome of HPV infections because of immunosuppression. A vaccine has been developed and is currently only approved for HPV prevention in younger females. The vaccine has so far only been proven to help prevent HPV from becoming cervical cancers, but as studies progress, and further research is done, the vaccine may be approved for more use in both females and males.

Do you have any questions or concerns about HPV? We’d love to hear from you!

Working with Your Doctor

The following is a quick reference for working with your doctor from Living Positive Magazine.

• Schedule regular visits with a doctor whom you are comfortable with.
• Keep a list of questions and concerns for your appointments.
• Get a copy of your blood test results and learn what they mean.
• It’s okay to take a friend to appointments with you to help you remember.
• Ask for options to be explained, you can always refuse any treatment if you wish.
• If you are having a problem, talk to someone. BCPWA has advocates here for you.

Do you have any tips on working with your Doctor, or on creating a healthy relationship with them?