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..
I’m sorry but i-Base no longer answers individual questions about risks of HIV transmission or HIV testing.
This service is based on information relating to treatment of people who are HIV positive.
Information online
Most testing questions are already answered on the FAQ page:
http://i-base.info/qa/faq/hiv-transmission-and-testing
Our guide to HIV Testing and risks of sexual transmission guide has more detailed and easy to read information about these topics. It can be read online at this link:
http://i-base.info/guides/testing
Worried about HIV?
If you are worried about a possible infection contact your local testing centre.
In the UK you can find your nearest clinic using the NHS website:
http://www.nhs.uk/ServiceDirectories/Pages/ServiceSearchAdditional.aspx?ServiceType=SexualHealthService
Understanding HIV test results:
If you do not understand results from an HIV test, please contact the centre where you were tested.
Worried about symptoms?
If you are concerned about any symptoms please contact a doctor.
Can person of edge 40 living with his Mother who is HIV positive (due to bloold transmittion) will get infected ?
Hi Onome,
Please follow this link for information about unprotected sex between two positive people. If you have any questions after reading this please let me know!
I was tested hiv positive and I ve started ARV but I want to know if an hiv patient that is married to an hiv patient too, can they have unprotected sex? What I read about a patient on ARV is that the ARV reduces the viral load so if d couple go on unprotected sex can they be infected with a different type or another hiv virus
I’m sorry but i-Base no longer answers individual questions about risks of HIV transmission or HIV testing.
This service is based on information relating to treatment of people who are HIV positive.
Information online
Most testing questions are already answered on the FAQ page:
http://i-base.info/qa/faq/hiv-transmission-and-testing
Our guide to HIV Testing and risks of sexual transmission guide has more detailed and easy to read information about these topics. It can be read online at this link:
http://i-base.info/guides/testing
Worried about HIV?
If you are worried about a possible infection contact your local testing centre.
In the UK you can find your nearest clinic using the NHS website:
http://www.nhs.uk/ServiceDirectories/Pages/ServiceSearchAdditional.aspx?ServiceType=SexualHealthService
Understanding HIV test results:
If you do not understand results from an HIV test, please contact the centre where you were tested.
Worried about symptoms?
If you are concerned about any symptoms please contact a doctor.
Hi, Im 23 y old discreet gay, 3 month ago I had unprotected sex with a guy I barely knew, 1 day after that I had feverish feeling and sore thoat and tonsilitis, which had healed of antibiotics after one week, but for 3 months now, i still feel feverish, but normal temp, about 36.6 36.9 c, is this is a sign of HIV?
Now, its the 3rd month, Im afraid to be tested, I dont have the courage, i have no friends to talk to about this, and now im still working and earning money, and just enjoying life to its fullest, eating foods that i love, watch movies, and hang out with my family, cause Im afraid that tomorrow I might die. Do you thing I have HIV?
HI Judith,
It sounds like you have had a false positive test result. A false positive test is when the test result shows positive but the person is really negative. This can happen with antibody tests when the test picks up antibodies for other infectious agents.
Approximately 1.5% (15 out of every 1000) antibody tests are a false positive. The fourth generation tests have a much lower chance of a false positive. This means that a small percentage of people who test positive on a rapid test (where the results are given within an hour) may turn out to be HIV negative. A second blood sample will be tested in a lab to look for this.
If your blood test was originally performed in a laboratory, a positive result would have been run before giving you this result. All positive laboratory tests in the UK are routinely confirmed using a second type of test called western blot that is 100% accurate.
Some time last year I tested positive to HIV but seven months after I test negative and til date I still test negative. What could be the problem cos am really confused
Hi
I’m sorry to hear about your Dad’s heart problems and that he also is HIV positive.
As the original question and other discussions show, his life expectancy from HIV should be very good if he has access to treatment when he needs it. Because of his recent heart problems, this will be one aspect of his health which he will need to be very careful about, and usually there are things someone can do to reduce future risks. These include looking at diet, exercise, not smoking etc.
HIV is a sexually transmitted infection that is not transmitted by everyday contact, so your Dad only has to consider using a condom with his sexual partners.
hi my dad is suffering from heart problem of single vein obstruction, recently he treated with angioplasty, now he is ok with heart functional 59 percent. During his treatment he was diagnosed of retroviral infection, with cd4 count 460, but after 6 months is cd4 count is increases slightly with 480 without treatment. After starting treatment, what complications will he face in the future and what will be his average life span of surviving. What should he do to not able transfer this infection.