HIV and T4 cells
Chapter 33: Endocrine and Reproductive Systems

As you may recall, HIV replicates inside T4, or helper T cells, eventually destroying them. By attacking T4 cells, HIV interferes with the body's ability to defend itself against pathogens. A healthy person has, on average 600 T4 cells per cubic millimeter of blood. As a pathogen, such as HIV, enters your body, the number of T4 cells increases in order to help in the fight. As HIV infection progresses, the number of T4 cells begins to decrease. The data table shows the amount of T4 cells in an HIV-infected person over a six-year period. Develop a line graph and plot the data.

Year of Infection	Change in T4 cells
1	25% increase
2	10% decrease
3	35% decrease
4	40% decrease
5	45% decrease
6	50% decrease

Analyze the Graph

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1. Describe the change in T4 cells over the six-year period.
2. Why do you think people infected with HIV often die of opportunistic diseases, rather than from AIDS?

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