Can CD4 Counts Predict Mortality Rates?

A study of nearly 2,300 French HIV patients who started protease inhibitor'based therapy between 1997 and 1999 and were followed through June 2003 has drawn correlations between CD4-cell counts and death rates: ''A CD4 count of 500 or more translates to being no more likely to die than an HIV-negative adult of the same gender and similar age. ''A CD4 count of 350-500 was linked to a threefold increase in risk of dying. ''A CD4 count of 200-350 was linked to a fivefold increase in risk of dying. ''A CD4 count below 200 increased the risk of death by 23 times.