Question
I’m 36 and HIV+, how long will I live?
27 February 2012. Related: All topics, Disclosure, Life expectancy, Living with HIV long-term.
Hi, I am 36 years old, diagnosed 2 years ago HIV Positive.
My CD4 is 547 and my viral load is under 5000 copies, I am still not on treatment and have no resistance to any of the main medications used. I have no other health problems, don’t smoke, eat well and exercise 4-5 times a week.
I know that I should reach a fairly good age but what is that likely to be? I still wonder whether I should bother making plans for pensions and I am feeling very low as I think I will have poor quality of life even if I do have another 25-30 years left.
Few people know that I am gay let alone positive which makes things difficult.
I would really like some help understanding what age I am likely to live until and what my quality of life will be.
Thanks in advance for an incredibly good website and source of information.
Answer
Hi,
Thanks for your question. It is great to hear that your CD4 Count is so high and that you are looking after your health.
You asked how long you can expect to live. This question is difficult to answer because of course each person is an individual. HIV affects everybody differently.
Being diagnosed early- when you still have a high CD4 count- is important in increasing life expectancy. A recent study looked at HIV positive men who have sex with men living in rich countries. It found that, when diagnosed early, life expectancy was 75 years. The study, which is quite technically worded, can be viewed at this link.
I hope this reassures you that you can expect to live almost as long as somebody who is HIV negative. You also said that you are worried about having a poor quality of life.
While living with HIV is not easy you can still have a good quality of life. Treatment and care within the UK is an excellent standard. We have access to the latest drugs. Serious side effects are much less common with new drugs, and are well managed.
You mentioned that you don’t have much support and that few people know that you are gay. This must be difficult when trying to cope with your recent diagnosis. You might be interested in meeting other gay men in the UK living with HIV. If you look at this link you will see ways to contact support groups for gay HIV positive men.
If you would like to talk to somebody within i-Base for more information you can call our free phoneline on 0808 800 6013.
Hi Lian, HIV meds are highly safe and effective. They were developed so that people living with HIV can now lead long and normal lives – and they do this.
Your fears about treatment are stopping you from getting these benefits. Without the meds, HIV will continue to progress and make you ill.
Please talk to your doctor and try the meds as nothing else will be effective. Most people find HIV meds are much easier than they worried about – andd they wish they had started treatment earlier.
Am 30yrs HIV positive for 2months and I fear to take drugs but ifeel sick all the time most especially headache what medicines should I use. And what can I do to be healthy with out arvs
Hello Ameh and thank you for the question.
Living with HIV should not prevent you from having relationships and enjoy your life.
A lot of people living with HIV have relationships, are married and have children.
Taking medication every day, ensures you remain healthy and can have a full, active life.
Taking medication and reaching an undetectable viral load ensures you cannot pass HIV to your sexual partners.
That’s what we call U=U
Have you heard about it before?
See here for some more information: https://i-base.info/u-equals-u/
Christina
Hi. I am 35 years old. I am positive, diagnosed last year and currently on medication. Although I feel no symptom of the virus, no one knows about my status. I broke up with my girlfriend immediately when I found out about my status. My major concern now is, the pressure to get married. How can I locate a positive person to start a relationship and possibly marry.
Hi Moses, what times do you take your medication? HIV medication needs to be taken at the same time everyday.
HIV medication works by maintaining a certain level of concentration on the body. To keep this level of drug in the body it needs to be taken daily at the same time. Waiting more than 24 hours can risk your treatment level falling and this risks resistance/viral load rebound.
Is there a reason you have been taking your medication at different times each day? and is it at any point of the day or do you aim to always take your medication around a specific time?