Low or inverted CD4T/CD8T Cell Ratio

General Discussion
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Hi, I recently took a commercial epigenetic test. One of the items that was mentioned is the result of my CD4T/CD8T Cell Ratio (reference range 1-4). My value is 0.18 marks as inverted ratio. “A low or inverted CD4/CD8 ratio is an immune risk phenotype and is associated with altered immune function, immune senescence, and chronic inflammation” It is being recommended to
to get additional testing to diagnose HIV, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia…
I know I am HIV negative from previous testing. My question is- Does Chronic Hepatitis B (which I have, and I’m on anti-viral treatment for the past 1 year and with numbers currently undetected) affect CD4T/CD8T ratio? Is this a common biomarker when it comes to diagnosing or treating CHB? I wanted to know if the CHB is what’s driving this low CD4/CD8 ratio. Anything I read mostly points to HIV. I am looking for any general input you may have on CD4T/CD8T ratio. And how low and concerning is 0.18 value within the context and outside the context of CHB? Thank you for taking the time to read this and hopefully someone in the community can contribute some answers and recommendations.

1 Like
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Not answering your question - are you currently on any HBV treatment (tenofovir or entecavir)?

3

Hi @crifid2023,
Great question. I am not sure what role HBV plays in relation to CD4T/CD8T. I understand it is important and connected to HIV. One of the experts will respond to your question as soon as possible. Thanks, Bansah1.

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Agree with the points made by @Bansah1, this is not a specific enough test to say anything concrete about your Hep B status. You may need to have follow up tests with your doctor to see if this is an ongoing issue and what the reason behind these results are.

Thomas

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Hi, I am not quite sure how this test is done, but normally CD4T/CD8T ratio can only be analyzed in intact blood cells using specific antibodies against CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. If this test you mentioned was done in any other way, I would really doubt the validity of results. Also, I have read quite a few research papers on the immune response against Hep B and have never seen any data indicating that Hep B changes CD4T/CD8T ratio. I hope this helps.