A recent study shows that beginning HIV treatment early sharply improves the survival chances of the patients.

Research was conducted on 8,374 patients in USA and Canada. According to lead researcher Mari Kitahata of the University of Washington-Seattle, it was found that 70% HIV patients who are treated later are likely to die than the ones who receive early treatment.

Kitahata says that the "magnitude" of the survival difference between the two study groups is great."Seventy percent is a significant and substantial increase in the risk of death," she says.

The current treatment guidelines recommend that patients begin HAART once their CD4+ T-cell counts fall below the 350 cells/mm3 threshold. But the latest research indicates that patients fare better when they begin treatment when their CD4 counts are much higher, between 350 and 500 cells per cubic millimeter.

"There's reason to believe you would have even better survival using drugs available now," said Kitahata.

What makes the finding so striking, Kitahata says, is the "magnitude" of the survival difference between the two study groups.