my brother has a cd4 count of 53, a viral load of 636,000 and pneumocystis, what's his survival chances?

Answer 1

I'm assuming the doctors are doing all they can with the drug cocktails, etc.

You might want to ask the doctor about adding elderberry extract capsules/liquid. There's some limited evidence in the literature that a couple of these capsules every eight hours may help to quickly and significantly reduce viral loads in HIV. (Actually, the studies used Sambucol, which is a liquid extract). It's also been shown in human trials to cut duration of influenza in half by inhibiting multiplication of the flu virus. So this substance seems to have some broad anti-viral action. Because drug companies can't patent elderberry to make money off of it, it isn't FDA approved for this purpose and doctors don't often even know about it. Aside from its antiviral activity, it also has some fairly significant antioxidant action. And taking antioxidants when in a distressed and diseased state can help to lower inflammation in the body. Almost everyone who is seriously ill has high levels of oxidative stress in the body, which is why eating plenty of mixed fruits, drinking green tea, taking 'safe' supplements, etc, might be important for supportive purposes.

Anyways, just in case you or your brother or his doctor is interested, here's some information on elderberry and HIV. The information below. I know someone who is taking elderberry for HIV, btw. The information below also mentions olive leaf extract, glucosamine and chondroitin. All of these are available at most supplement shops.

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Posit Health News. 1998 Fall;(No 17):7-11.

Anecdotal reports: elderberry extract plus chondroitin and glucosamine sulfate and Thy-mate reduces viral load to non-detectable levels in 10 days.

AIDS: Several HIV patients offer anecdotal reports in which they attribute significant viral load reductions to taking elderberry extract. Thy-Mate was also used. Case studies from six patients are presented. In an interview, Steven Rahn describes his self-imposed treatment and its effect on his viral load. Another case discusses reports of dicalcium phosphate, a binding agent found in some dietary supplements such as glucosamine, inhibiting absorption of the supplements. Other cases are described, and contact information is included.

PMID: 11366557 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Posit Health News. 1998 Fall;(No 17):12-4. Links

A new triple combination therapy. Konlee M.

AIDS: Elderberry, chondroitin, and glucosamine sulfate have been found to block HIV replication at three distinct points in the replication cycle. For quadruple therapy, a reverse transcriptase inhibitor such as olive leaf extract or Epivir (3TC) could be added. In one case, a female, taking no HIV drugs, used an elderberry extract, called Sambucol, with olive leaf extract and experienced a viral load drop from 17,000 to 4,000. Instructions are given for making both alcohol-free and alcohol-based elderberry extracts. In 1993, researchers at Jerusalem?s Hebrew University Medical School found in a placebo-controlled double-blind study that Sambucol led to a rapid recovery from influenza and inhibited replication of nine other strains of the flu virus. A theory is that elderberry renders viruses nonfunctional by staining and coating them. Another promising treatment is soil based organisms, which improved Natural Killer cell function in a person with CFIDS.

PMID: 11366542 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Answer 2

The cd4 count is not a good measure to use to measure the progression of HIV in an infected patient by itself. The tests works best when interpreted with a viral load test as well as previous cd 4 count test. Basically the viral load test and the cd 4 cell count test are used together to interpret patient data.
To better understand the cd 4 cell count tests go to:
http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/cd4/test.html
and the viral load tests:
http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/viral_load/test.html

To answer the question about pneumocystis; doctors are able to treat patients with antibiotics and steroids (if needed), recovery is estimated to take about three weeks.
http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/fungal/pneumocystis.html
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pneumocystisinfections.html

Answer 3

I was in a very similar situation a little over two years ago, except my CD-4 count was 6. I was in the hospital for four days while they treated the pneumocystis. I don't remember all the medications they had me on, but I do remember the albeuterol treatments that made me buzz like I wanted to clean the entire hospital. As soon as I stabilized, they sent me home to avoid hospital borne infections like staph. I spent 8 weeks on oxygen at my house and about 4-5 weeks on a sulfa-based treatment for the PCP.

I did not start my HAART (Highly Active AntiRetroviral Therapy - also called combo therapy) until about 4 weeks after I got out of the hospital. You will need to watch for drug reactions if he is still on the medication for the PCP when he starts the HAART. I ended up having a reaction that sent me back to the ER for a saline flushing and change of pneumonia medication.

It is highly likely that his doctors will want to put him on the Sustiva/Truvada combo (now in a one pill, once-a-day option called Atripla) assuming his virus is treatment naive (susceptible to all current medications). This is by no means a given. There are four classes of medications available: Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs or nukes), Non Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs or non-nukes), Protease Inhibitors (PIs) and Fuzeon Inhibitors. HAART is a combination of two or more of these classes of drugs. Doctors usually opt to stay away from PIs in treatment naive cases due to a higher prominence of side effects like lipoatrophy and lipodystrophy (both are types of visible fat redistribution).

Bottom line, his survival chance are very good as long as he works with his doctors and adheres to his HAART regimen. Take it one step at a time and give him all the support you can. It will make all the difference.

Todd (AIDS - positive since 2004)

Answer 4

Tough to say; can go either way. I've seen people on the verge of death start on ARV therapy and now they're jumping around with more life in them than me. I've also seen people with a much higher CD4+ count crash in a few days.

All you can do is make sure they throw the full weight of medicine at him and hope for the best.

Sorry, and hope this helps at all.

Answer 5

To begin with your brother should be on HAART roght now.
I would suggest a combination with a protease inhibitor.
About the PCP he should by now be recieving either Amphotericin B or Fluconazole for it.
Depending where he is geographically i would suggest he also tests for Tuber culosis (TB) and a scan for lesions of Toxoplasmisis.
A lot of people have been treated for PCP and survived so it should not worry you so much though he needs immediate medical attention.

I would also suggest an ASAP ID consult. ( Infectious diseases)

Answer 6

that depends on alot of factors, like his individual response to treatment, what is being used to treat him, and how long his levels remain elevated. This is question to ask his doctor.

Answer 7

OH BROTHER< WHER"ART THOU !!!