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).
Hi Emeka, I am sorry that you are feeling this way. Does your doctor and clinic know how you feel? Please talk to them so they can understand why you are feeling like this and whether they can help with support. Everyone responds differently to their meds but nearly everyone responds well enough to have many years of health including a near-normal lifespan.
Stopping meds will let HIV slowly progress again and risks all sorts of really difficult illnesses and complications – so people generally restart HIV meds again when this reality becomes clear. I am sorry but it is usually a long, slow and painful process.
Will I die if stop taking my HIV medications ? And how long would I live if I stop taking my medications ? Can an HIV positive person stop taking his/her medication?
Can I ever stop taking my HIV medications and still be healthy and how many years will I live because I’m tired of this my life.
Hi Jackie and thank you for sharing your story with us.
Sounds like you are very smart and brave.
Well done for wanting to know more about HIV and ask for help. Not everyone is able to do that.
It sounds like a quite complex situation.
Like with every challenge in life you have to take it one day at a time.
Your mum’s diagnosis seems to be affecting all of you and that is to be expected.
I will give you some information that might help you understand this disease and what to expect, ok?
How much do you know about HIV?
People living with HIV today can have very long, normal, full, active lives.
https://i-base.info/qa/543
Have you heard that people living with HIV who are on treatment cannot pass on HIV to their sexual partners or babies?
https://i-base.info/u-equals-u/
All these evidence means your mum can be healthy for many many more years as long as she is taking her medication.
Here is a guide for people who were just diagnosed that might help you and your mum to understand better about your future steps:
https://i-base.info/just-found-out/
As for telling other people: HIV is something very personal and people will choose who to tell.
We usually choose to tell people who are supportive and we can trust.
Some times, these people don’t live up to our expectations and prove they were not to be trusted.
That doesn’t mean we were wrong. It means they were not able to understand and support us when we needed them.
What I mean to say is that your mum is human and needs support.
Don’t be too harsh on her for asking for help.
Even if this friend did not live up to your mum’s expectations.
Please let me know if you would like to discuss this more.
Feel free to contact us again here or in the e-mail: questions@i-base.org.uk
Hi there my mum was diagnosed with HIV but my Dad was negative yet my Dad has been the one going out mostly with different women.
Now that she found out she fears sharing with us, her children, but the only person she trusted in hospital has started spreading the news.
How can we be of help because sooner or later she will find out that the person she trusted betrayed her.
Won’t she be affected, won’t she fall more sick?
What should we do if our Dad finds out about this? its going to be hell for her
Hi Peace, do you know your viral load? If it is below 200/undetectable there is no risk of transmission.
This is called U=U:
https://i-base.info/u-equals-u/
Even if you have a viral load higher than this, treatment will still greatly reduce the risk of transmission. Other factors that influence transmission are explained here:
https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/hiv-transmission-and-testing