Question
How long can someone live with HIV?
2 January 2018. Related: All topics, Life expectancy.
How long can a man live with HIV if he was around 18 years old and was healthy when he was infected, both with and without medication?
Answer
Modern HIV drugs mean that life expectancy is now similar for HIV positive people to the general population.
This is based on being diagnosed early and having access to treatment.
The wide range of factors related to life expectancy include: where you live, your income, access to health care, lifestyle (alcohol, drugs, tobacco, exercise and diet) and other infections like hepatitis, genetics and chance – good or bad luck.
Several large studies have been published showing that life expectancy for HIV positive people is very good, and near to an HIV negative person.
Without treatment, HIV will slowly progress in nearly everyone. This speed that HIV progresses varies from a few years to more than 20 years.
Note: this answer was updated in January 2018 from a question posted in August 2008..
my cd4 count last year in May was 1000 but now it is 450 should i worry.
Dear Zama
Having an undetectable viral load by the time of delivery is the key way of preventing transmission to your baby. Viral load refers to the amount of virus in your body. An undetectable viral load means there is very little virus present therefore less chance of passing HIV onto the baby. ARVs are the only proven way of achieving and maintaining an undetectable viral load.
Treatment brings your viral load down very fast. ARVs starts working in the body within the first few days of starting treatment, and many people achieve undetectable levels within the first month. As you started taking ARVs 3 months ago, it is likely that you would have already achieved undetectable levels before you deliver.
I can appreciate your concern about efavirenz in regards to what you have read. It is true that in the past women wishing to conceive were advised not to use efavirenz, or to switch if they found out they were pregnant whilst taking it.
However, over the past few years, this advice has now changed. Here in the UK, the current UK guidelines for the management of HIV in pregnancy recommend that efavirenz can continue to be used by women considering pregnancy. They also recommend that efavirenz can be used by women diagnosed HIV positive during pregnancy.
There are many reports of women throughout the world who have have continued taking efavirenz during pregnancy.
Good luck with the delivery.
Best wishes.
I am pregnant with my first child (due in 4 days), was diagnosed hiv positive at 6 months and started treatment immediately. My cd4 count was already below 350 (264). I had last tested negative in October 2009.
I don’t know when I got infected. My biggest concern is whether the meds will be able to protect my baby since I started them late. What are the chances that the treatment won’t work for her (my unborn)? I’m really worried.
I am also concerned about abnormarlities (although I trust my Dr). I am on AZT, 3TC & Efavirenz; and whenever I read on the internet or the medication insert, it says Efavirens is not recomended in pregnancy because it caused neural tube defect in one animal study. Can this happen to my daughter?
If your HIV test is negative, then you do not have HIV. If your staph infection is not improving your doctor may need to use different antibiotics.
i’ve bean treating an infection ‘staphilococus’ for four yrs but have not bean ok. But ive being with one man all these years. Please how long can one live with HIv before it manifets? Could it be d couse of my problem?
Dear Richie
Lipoatrophy is the medical term for fat loss. Symptoms include loss of fat from under the skin of your arms and legs which can make your veins look more prominent. it also includes loss of fat from the face.
The good news is that, lipoatrophy is a side effect that was commonly associated with a lot of the older ARVs (antiretroviral treatment for HIV). Newer drugs used nowadays do not cause this side effect.
Some people who are not on treatment and who have advanced HIV can experience wasting. Although wasting can appear to look like lipoatrophy, it is actually different as it involves loss of muscle rather than loss of fat.
Finally, there are certain rare medical conditions unrelated to HIV, which can cause similar fat loss symptoms.
Can you have lipoatrophy without HAART?
i-Base no longer answer individual questions about risks of HIV transmission or HIV testing. This is because information on both these subjects is now online in two resources:
A FAQ page on testing and transmission:
http://i-base.info/qa/faq/hiv-transmission-and-testing
And a more detailed but easy to read guide to testing and sexual transmission:
http://i-base.info/guides/testing
I have pain in my head and joints and my eyesight has changed. I test my blood but didn’t find what was wrong. I had sex 4 months ago without a condom. If these are HIV symptoms what should I do?
Hi JK,
It’s good that your brother is on treatment and doing well. It is very normal to be taking 3 medicines. This is called combination therapy and is very effective. Please take a look at this link to learn more about HIV medicines .
Nobody can say how long someone will live. But with treatment and support your brother can plan to live as long as somebody without HIV.