CD4 and anemia (phenotype): Risk factors commonly associated with anaemia in HIV include advanced HIV disease, low CD4 count, high viral load, the presence of an opportunistic infection, female sex, and lower body mass index (BMI).10,15 Although the risk of anaemia in PLHIV is reduced by taking ART,5,6,7,16 there are data showing that that some individuals remain anaemic, and other individuals develop anaemia after commencing ART.