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Easy-to-read and illustrated information on health checks for people living with HIV.

Staff at your HIV clinic use various tests to keep an eye on your health. Many of these tests are done on samples of your blood or urine. Most will be done once a year, others more often.

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Health checks

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Health checks
Roger Pebody

Roger Pebody

Commissioning Editor

Roger joined aidsmap in 2008 and was Managing Editor from 2018 to 2024. As a freelancer, he now edits aidsmap’s news and conference coverage, as well as working on updates to About HIV pages. He is also a contributing science editor for TheBodyPro, a freelance journalist for The Lancet HIV, and a medical writer helping researchers prepare articles for peer-reviewed journals. He began working on HIV at Gay Men Fighting AIDS in the mid-1990s.

Basic information

What is the difference between HIV and AIDS?

Illustration of HIV virus.

Very recent infection

Very recent infection

Myths and facts

Myths and facts

CD4 and viral load

CD4 and viral load

Undetectable viral load

Undetectable viral load

What is the normal CD4 count for an HIV-negative person?

What is the normal CD4 count for someone taking HIV treatment?

What does undetectable mean?

Will I test negative if my viral load is undetectable?

What is a viral load blip, and does it matter?

What are the symptoms of early HIV infection?

A woman is resting in bed.

CD4 cell counts

A vial of blood is resting on a form that indicates it will be tested for CD4 cells. The image has a pink and purple filter over it.

CD4/CD8 ratio

A person wearing a blue surgical glove holds a vial of blood in front of a bloodwork form. The option "CD4 CD8" is checked. The image has a pink and purple filter over it.

Viral load

A close up of a person's arm while they are having their blood taken. The person taking the blood is wearing surgical gloves. We can see some of the blood is already in the tube.

What are logs in viral load results?

Vial of blood ready for viral load testing

Blood tests before starting or changing HIV treatment

A close up of a person's arm while they are having their blood taken. The person taking the blood is wearing surgical gloves. We can see some of the blood is already in the tube.

Blood monitoring for people with HIV

A person having a blood test. They are sitting in a chair while a nurse collects blood in a vial.

Liver function tests

Vials of blood in test tubes. One of them is being held by someone wearing white gloves.

Anaemia and HIV

Blood cells.

Cervical screening: information for people with HIV

A woman wearing white sits on a bed in a clinic, talking to a nurse wearing blue, who's making notes.