In unadjusted analysis, patients who deferred treatment were 32% more likely to progress to a new AIDS event or die than those initiating treatment early, although this finding was not statistically significant (unadjusted RH 1.32 [0.87, 2.00], p = 0.20); this effect was unchanged (adjusted RH 1.39 [0.90, 2.15], p = 0.14) after controlling for other clinical and demographic characteristics at baseline (sex, risk group, age, CD4 count and viral load at diagnosis). Here, CD4 is linked to AIDS.