CD4 and AIDS: In the Swiss Cohort Study HCV coinfection was independently associated with a 21% reduction in the likelihood of increasing the CD4+ T-cell counts by at least 50 cells/μL and with an increased risk of progression to AIDS and to death among patients initiating HAART [5], and higher HCV RNA levels were associated with more CD4+ T-cell depletion in a prolonged observation (4 years) [6].