1. HOW TO INTERPRET YOUR LAB TESTS Janice Price, M.Ed, RN Swedish Medical Center HIV Research Program

2. TESTS CBC: Complete Blood Count Serum Chemistries Liver Function/ Amylase Lipids: Blood Fats Immune System: CD4 & Viral Load

3. CBC: Complete Blood Count Red Blood Cells: RBC White Blood Cells:WBC Platelets: Plts Serum/Plasma

4. Blood Cell Types

5. Bone Marrow All Blood Cells made in bone marrow. Bone Marrow is the spongy centers of bones sometimes seen in cuts of meat

6. Stem Cells Stem cells are young cells All blood cells start as stem cells They get “drafted” as RBCs, WBCs or platelets depending on the body’s needs

7. Red Blood Cells Called erythrocytes “cytes” = cells Shaped like bagel with hole covered over Filled with hemoglobin that carries oxygen from the lungs to every cell in the body. Utah State University

8. White Blood Cells WBCs are disease fighters Some make antibodies and some fight invaders directly Divided into categories depending on function and what they look like.

9. Types of White Cells Lymphocytes: B and T cells. Agranulocytes Granulocytes: polymorphonucleocoytes mostly neutrophils (55-80%), also basophils and eosonophils Monocytes: mature into macrophages (big eaters)

10. A macrophage attacking a bacteria with a cellular extension called a pseudopod

11. Abbreviations RBC = Red Blood Cell WBC = White Blood Cell HCT = Hematocrit Hbg = Hemoglobin ANC = Absolute Neutrophil Count

12. CBC

16. TESTS OF IMMUNE FUNCTION A human cell infected with a rhinovirus ruptures, relasing millions of new viruses

18. A human T-helper cell is under attack by HIV virus

19. Viral Load Tests PCR: Most common. Usually expressed has HIV-1 PCR in copies per milliliter. Roche Amplicor bDNA: values are different. Usually ½ of PCR value NASBA: nucleic acid sequence based amplification. Values are also different

20. UNDETECTABLE VIRAL LOAD DOES NOT MEAN NO VIRUS PRESENT Remember: there are other places for virus to hide

22. Viral Load Expressed as Log 10 x = viral load

23. Genotype/Phenotype

24. Blood Types