title: CD4 cell count and the risk of AIDS or death in HIV-Infected adults on combination antiretroviral therapy with a suppressed viral load: a longitudinal cohort study from COHERE.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Most adults infected with HIV achieve viral suppression within a year of starting combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). It is important to understand the risk of AIDS events or death for patients with a suppressed viral load.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using data from the Collaboration of Observational HIV Epidemiological Research Europe (2010 merger), we assessed the risk of a new AIDS-defining event or death in successfully treated patients. We accumulated episodes of viral suppression for each patient while on cART, each episode beginning with the second of two consecutive plasma viral load measurements <50 copies/µl and ending with either a measurement >500 copies/µl, the first of two consecutive measurements between 50-500 copies/µl, cART interruption or administrative censoring. We used stratified multivariate Cox models to estimate the association between time updated CD4 cell count and a new AIDS event or death or death alone. 75,336 patients contributed 104,265 suppression episodes and were suppressed while on cART for a median 2.7 years. The mortality rate was 4.8 per 1,000 years of viral suppression. A higher CD4 cell count was always associated with a reduced risk of a new AIDS event or death; with a hazard ratio per 100 cells/µl (95% CI) of: 0.35 (0.30-0.40) for counts <200 cells/µl, 0.81 (0.71-0.92) for counts 200 to <350 cells/µl, 0.74 (0.66-0.83) for counts 350 to <500 cells/µl, and 0.96 (0.92-0.99) for counts ≥500 cells/µl. A higher CD4 cell count became even more beneficial over time for patients with CD4 cell counts <200 cells/µl.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the low mortality rate, the risk of a new AIDS event or death follows a CD4 cell count gradient in patients with viral suppression. A higher CD4 cell count was associated with the greatest benefit for patients with a CD4 cell count <200 cells/µl but still some slight benefit for those with a CD4 cell count ≥500 cells/µl.
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Psichogiou
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ayayi
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grabar
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Raffi
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Reiss
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gazzard
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sharland
authors.forename: Félix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gutierrez
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Obel
authors.forename: Ole
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kirk
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Miro
authors.forename: Hansjakob
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Furrer
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castagna
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Wit
authors.forename: Josefa
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Muñoz
authors.forename: Jesper
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kjaer
authors.forename: Jesper
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grarup
authors.forename: Geneviève
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chêne
authors.forename: Heiner
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bucher
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000209:etiology*; D000328:Adult; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D019562:Viral Load / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents