Question
How long can I live if I’m taking HIV treatment (ART)?
15 January 2018. Related: All topics, Life expectancy, Living with HIV long-term.
Can HIV kill when you have an undetectable viral load? I’m doing well on medication and how long can i live to the cure? Lastly, why cant I stop thinking about my HIV status – first thing in the morning and also just before I fall asleep?
Polio have been eradicated but why cant scientists do the same for HIV?
Answer
The quick answer is that with modern HIV drugs (called ART) your life expectancy is likely to be similar to if you were HIV negative. The earlier someone is diagnosed and start ART, the quicker any damage from HIV can be reversed.
For most people, HIV is easy to treat and easy to manage. ART can give you a normal life expectancy and an excellent quality of life.
Hw long anyone will live depends on things you can change (smoking, exercise, medication) and thing you can’t (genetics and luck). A study in Denmark (2005) estimated that the survival is more than 35 years for a young person diagnosed with HIV infection and another study in Canada (2003) report that in the US, life expectancy at age 20 years was an additional 58.3 years.
As long as your CD4 count stays above 200 cells/mm3, the risk of most HIV complications is pretty low. At higher CD4 levels – above 350, or 500, or 700 – the risk becomes lower still. Although some health problems are slightly higher in HIV positive people compared to HIV negative people, these risks are also often reduced by ART.
If you continue to take your medication as prescribed and do not miss or taking doses late, then the risk of HIV health problems in the future s very low. However, just as HIV negative people become ill, lifestyle changes to reduce these risks are important if you are HIV positive. For example, keeping mentally and physically active, eating a balanced diet, resting well, not smoking etc).
Having HIV might not always be easy though. The shock of being diagnosed sometimes takes a long time to come to terms with and at the moment you are still working on this. Already, I am sure you feel better than when you were first diagnosed and this will continue to become easier every year.
Most people worry about the impact of HIV on their life. This could bewhy you think about your HIV status on a daily basis. If this continues to be difficult perhaps get in touch with a local support group or ask about counselling. Talking about your HIV status can help you to deal with it and also through group support you can share experiences and also learn from one another. You do not have to deal with it in isolation.
Finally, you asked about research into a cure. HIV is very complex in a way that is different to polio. Although currently there is no vaccine or cure, there is a lot of ongoing research.
HIV treatment is one of the successes of modern medicine. The breadth and expertise in scientific advances has not only developed 30 medications in five drug classes but this research has contributed to many other areas of medicine.
Even though curing HIV is difficult, there are lots of reasons to be optimistic.
This question was updated in January 2018 from an original answer posted in November 2011. (See: Question 10 at this link for more information).
My cd4 count 681
I m hiv positive
More depression and stress help me
Hi Sakil,
Unfortunately, i-Base doesn’t have resouces to answer questions about risk and testing. But you can find links to all frequently asked questions here.
I had sex two month now I test negative my worry is could I test positive, cause I have seen HIV signs like yellow tounge ,black spot under my feet’s and feeling very cold and feeling very tired
Hi Hassan,
i-Base doesn’t have resources to answer questions on HIV risks and testing. You can find all frequently asked questions here.
Having unprotected sex with hiv negative girl during 7th day of her period(her bleeding last for only 3rd day) can cause hiv to man?
Plz plz plz reply must
I find this information vry helpful. My girlfriend was diagnosed hiv positive And started meds as soon as possible. When we decided to have a baby the clinic supported us the right time. Today we have a beautiful son and we are staying together. Hiv meds routine is the same as gym routine…… Iam negative but I don’t retouch myself frm her. We are happy and this has just built trust between us..
Hello Brown,
It’s great that you’re feeling good and there’s no problem, and good too that you’ve started meds. You can ask the doctor about your HIV test results. Usually there will be a test that looks for HIV as well as your body’s antibody response to HIV. The two important test results you can ask for are CD4 and viral load.
Am brown and was tested as positive HIV recent time by April,but am normal and started my med..and am good with no problem..no sign of any thing…but my fear is what if I was not just as real positive HIV patient ,but read test of being positive…with the treatment of HIV med do I encounter a state of any problem with HIV treatment if am not really a positive patient?
Hi Chuchu,
Testing HIV positive can be a tough time for most people. But it’s good that the clinic have given you HIV meds. And as you can read above, with modern drugs your life expectancy is likely to be similar to if you were HIV negative. Starting HIV treatment (ART) often needs support from the clinic. Can you ask if this is available to you? However, you can read about starting ART in the guide Introduction to ART.
I am chuchu I went for hiv text today been 23 of may.2018 and it was tested positive. my question is how can I mange to live my life to survive. can I be using the drugs they gave until God heals me