This figure shows results for three cohorts of simulated patients: (a) Presentation with advanced disease: patients presenting to care with advanced disease, defined as CD4 counts <200/µl or AIDS-defining disease (mean CD4 count, 97/µl); lifetime cost; lifetime cost was €513,200 (€322,500 discounted). (b) Base case: patients presenting to care with base case characteristics, similar to those of patients presenting to care in France in 2005 (mean CD4 count, 372/µl); lifetime cost was €535,000 (€320,700 discounted). (c) Early presentation: patients presenting to care early (mean CD4 count, 510/µl); lifetime cost was €534,800 (€313,000 discounted). Simulated patients in each of these cohorts initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) at CD4 counts <350/µl or severe AIDS-defining disease. Undiscounted lifetime costs are similar in the base case and early disease groups, but discounted costs are €7,700 higher in the base case group. This substantial difference may be explained by the earlier deaths and thus decreased discounting of expensive end-of-life costs in the base case.