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).
M 25,tested positive a Month back!m so depressed and haven’t gone to hospital yet!I tink of the results every minute,many questions in my brains,will I get a man to marry?who luvs a positive lady?will I get kids?m I about to die?All my dreamz were burried!!Oooo God!!I really need psychological help my friends.
I was diagnosed with HIV and why in the world I got it? I was feeling perplexed and confused about having it. But with my wife’s understanding and giving me full support and regular HIV medicines I am confident and feeling much better and life has become a normal life to live in. Life is beautiful and I love life. I always pray that God give me longer life span and I am giving back to my community every bit that I can help anyone in my little ways.
Hi Chrys, before jumping ahead it would be better to think more carefully and scientifically.
First, you should not be insisting that anyone else has an HIV test – especially if you haven’t already done this for yourself. Your sexual partners have the right and freedom to look after their own health and not be pressurised to have a test to manage your anxiety. So my main concern now is with your partner. How was her response to testing HIV positive? Does she have access to treatment and care? Please ask her to contact me if she has questions?
Secondly, if you haven’t tested yourself, you could easily have been positive for many years. In this case you would have been putting your partners at risk.
Thirdly, HIV is a very low risk from having sex one time. If the HIV positive person is not on treatment, the risk might still be much less than 1% (1 in 100) and probably much lower still. If the person is on effective treatment, this risk becomes zero.
So rather than panic about the very slight chance that you might be positive, perhaps concentrate on the much more likely outcome that you are still HIV negative. Also, that it is your partner who really is dealing with HIV now.
Anyone can become HIV positive but the risks are generally low. If you have access to 4th generation HIV tests, you will get a good indication of your result in about a week or so. If you only have access to 3rd generation HIV tests, then it is better to wait another couple of weeks before testing. You don;t have to wait for three months to test.
In the mean time, perhaps read about how effective current meds are, with life expectancy normalised to that of HIV negative people, if diagnosed early and you have access to treatment.
on 20th August, I made love with a girl and I’ve been insisting her to come to my health facility we check her status. she came today and she is positive. you know what that means? on 20th Nov i will check myself for the same. scientifically, I’m already an HIV positive patient! I’m 25, I will be graduating this year with a degree in Medical Laboratory Science with IT. I’m a scientist and I’m sorry for myself, science didn’t help me. I’m waiting for three months then I confirm and start my medication immediately. if you’re positive out there, be optimistic. I’m still trying to settle my mind, I know i will. We make mistakes sometimes and those mistakes happens to be the worst, but it’s not over yet.
Please don’t hurt yourself, it’s not the end of your life and it’s not necessarily a death sentence. I’m positive too, in a month it will be one year, it’s also my birthday the same month and I’m celebrating. I’m celebrating turning 30, being healthy, being undetectable, having a very strong CD4 count and a very low viral load. It happened, we can either give up and let it kill us or get up and do our best to live as long as we can. I might die in a car accident tomorrow, that’s still better than dying from AIDS. You are stronger than a virus and you have a long life to live. Go speak to cancer survivors or patients, see how strong they are and ironically how lucky we are for having to only take one, or a few pills, every day to stay alive. It can only get better from here, I’m hopeful about the future. Google “HIV cure” and click the news tab and learn, educate yourself, see that it’s not that bad. Speak to your GP or a local support group.
Hi John,
ARVs affect people in different ways. As too do the different ARV combinations. This is why its important to have regular health check ups.
Though meds can have some negative impact on a persons health, for example possible kidney issues, the benefits of ARVs outweigh possible long term effects.
MY QUESTION IS, IF YOU HAVE BEEN ON TREATMENT FOR MANY YEARS CAN THESE DRUGS NOT ADD SOME PROBLEMS TO YOUR BODY?
Hi James,
As long as you take ARVs there’s no reason why you cannot live a long and health life. But you do need to take your meds.
Is there any reason why you aren’t taking them? How long have you been off your meds for?
I been scared becuase I’m not taking my pills. I’m just scared becuase my friend died at the age of 26. I’m 25 & Got diagnosed 2 years ago. I just need to be educate and regulated.
Hi when someone came over to my place and told me I was HIV positive. I was scared and cried for hours. I thought I was gonna die the next day or sooner. But I prayed and ask lord to forgive my sins I have done. I want my loved ones to move on with their lives and be happy. That I be waiting for them and I’m with them..