We therefore examined the association of nutritional status prior to ART initiation, using height-normalized measures of body mass, fat-free mass, fat mass, and skin fold thickness, with the change in CD4 count at an average of 6, 12, and 24 months after ART initiation in a cohort of Rwandan women with a high prevalence of malnutrition at study entry. The gene discussed is CD4; the disease is malnutrition.