Question
How long can I live without HIV drugs?
2 January 2017. Related: All topics, Life expectancy, Living with HIV long-term.
Can you please tell me how long can someone live without taking HIV medication?
Answer
The best way to answer this is to say that modern HIV treatment (ART) means that life expectancy is not affected by being HIV positive. HIV positive people with access to treatment can be expected to live as long as before they became positive.
Without using HIV treatment, life expectancy is related to how quickly your CD4 count drops and how low it gets.
Without treatment, some people see their CD4 count drop to under 200 within a few years of infection, while others people can go for 5-10 years or longer before they need treatment.
See also: Your CD4 count and the risk of becoming ill.
This is different to saying how long you could live. However, without treatment, once your CD4 count falls below 200 life expectancy drops very dramatically.
Note: This answer was updated in January 2017 from a question first posted in November 2011.
Hi Mmami,
Its common to feel stressed and worried when you’ve just been diagnosed. This can be even harder when you’re diagnosed when pregnant. The first thing to do is to breath, slow down and give yourself some time. You’re going to be OK.
The most important thing to do is to start ARVs. Not only will they help you control your HIV they’ll also reduce the risk of HIV to your baby. There’s more about this here:
http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy
HIV is no longer the illness it used to be. As long as you take your meds, there’s no reason why you can’t have a normal life spam.
Hey I just found that am pregnant and am newly diagnosed with HIV m stressing about my unborn baby n after birth I got this @ work as m paramedic, how long I can live with this when m taking RVD with my husband
Hi Steve,
Have you had any risky sexual encounters since your last negative result?
My doctor has just phoned me and told me that one of my blood test results came back has positive for hiv why has this not been picked up before has my doctors do regular blood tests and what do I do now
Hi Stuart,
Please see Q10 here:
http://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions
My CD4 is 629 and on Truvada ARV
Hi LB,
The first thing to ask is, had you been having risky sex before your negative test, or after your negative test? Thinking about this may help with understanding when you contracted HIV. However, as you’ve had both a positive and negative test, its important to have this confirmed. Having a viral load test could help this.
If your third test comes back as being positive, then please get back in touch as we’ll be able to give you some info and advice.
Hello,
Well I got tested back on 12/30/17 at a free clinic and was negative. I went into the doctors 1/12/18 because I was having flu like symptoms and found out I was diagnosed with HIV after my lab work came back. So does that mean I caught detection early on? I have an appointment with the infectious disease doctors the 1st and 2nd of February. I am a little scared being new to this virus. Don’t plan on sharing this new found information with my family as of yet because its my burden to bear. I want to continue living life normal and hope this doesn’t set me back. Anything you can tell me to help me have a positive look on my situation.
Hi Carmelita,
Modern meds for HIV are effective and easy to take. So somebody on treatment can expect to live a similar length of time to somebody who doesn’t have HIV. You can find out more here.
A CD4 count of 690 is strong. The normal CD4 range for HIV negative people is between 400 – 1600. A CD4 count tells you how well your immune system will work. If HIV is not treated it gradually wears down your immune system. Your CD4 count goes lower. And then you are more likely to get infections.
So when somebody HIV positive goes on treatment the amount of HIV in the blood becomes undetectable. Once that happens your CD4 count can recover and go up. So you can have CD4 count of 690 and be HIV positive.
Can somebody tell me if you can live 26yrs with hiv and treatment.
I no a person with a cd4 count of 690 What dose that mean. Can you have a 690 cd4 count and be hiv positive?