Yeah, HAART is not side effect free, but one has come a long way from the initial retrovirals which had way more severe side effects. As for the CD4+ T cells,

Yeah, HAART is not side effect free, but one has come a long way from the initial retrovirals which had way more severe side effects. As for the CD4+ T cells, you are right that their numbers decrease before it's called AIDS. In some individuals the counts can successfully recover to "normal" levels. According to studies, it depends on how early you start treatment. https://www.aidsmap.com/news/dec-2018/cd4-count-recovery-french-study-reaffirms-why-it-important-test-and-treat-hiv-early https://www.aidsmap.com/news/dec-2018/cd4-count-recovery-fre... https://www.nature.com/articles/mi201558 https://www.nature.com/articles/mi201558