Be careful about the information you're getting - check it out with your doctor or other sources to make sure it's accurate. In addition to your regular medical exams, there are two special blood tests to keep track of HIV disease. They are the viral load test and the T-cell test. The viral load test helps show how strong the HIV virus is in your body. It measures the amount of HIV in your blood.
Lower levels are better.
This test is used to help decide when it's time to start using anti-HIV medications, to see if the drugs are working, and to know when to change medications. The T-cell test helps show how strong your immune system is. It counts how many infection-fighting white blood cells you have. The more, the better. If your T-cell count gets too low, you might develop an opportunistic infection.