CD4 cell eligibility thresholds: an analysis of the time to antiretroviral treatment in HIV-1 seroconverters.

Background: WHO recommends initiating combination antiretroviral treatment at the minimal CD4 cell threshold of 350 cells/μl. In sub-Saharan Africa, the time for a recently infected patient to reach this threshold is unclear.

Method: We estimated the probability of reaching different CD4 cell thresholds over time in the ANRS 1220 cohort of HIV-1 seroconverters in Côte d'Ivoire.