Although higher levels of CD4+ T cell counts in HIV-infected individuals is an indicator of good health, in the early stages of HIV (i.e., acute infection) and prior to treatment, when patients may have CD4+ T cell counts that put them at a low risk for AIDS and AIDS-related complications, mortality still remains high compared to their uninfected counterparts [86], which potentially operates through excessive immune activation and chronic inflammation [67]. This evidence concerns the gene CD4 and AIDS.