Starting highly active antiretroviral therapy when CD4-cell counts are above 200 results in death rates from HIV disease similar to those seen with other chronic illnesses, researchers in Denmark report in the January 2 edition of the journal AIDS. But the risk of death rises considerably with lower CD4 counts at the start of antiretroviral treatment, according to the study, with the highest risk of mortality seen among those who began anti-HIV drugs with CD4-cell counts below 50.
