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 Nonto.
If there’s a chance that you were positive whilst pregnant, or when you were feeding your baby she will need to be tested. Because she’s 2 they’ll be able to tell you straight away if she’s positive or not. Are you able to go and get her tested?
Now that you know your status, are you able to talk to anyone about this? Have you been given treatment?
Hi I’m 25 years my name is nonto I just found out m HIV after my child she is 2 years and I didn’t have any signs of HIV positive I wonder if I didn’t transmit the virus to my child coz I stopped breastfeeding her when she was 12 months
Hi Nature, It’s great that you’ve started ARVs. That’s because 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 starts ART, the quicker any damage from HIV can be reversed. You can find out more from this question here.
Hi my name is Nature I’m 23 years old i recently find out that I’m infected with HIV and am already started ARVS But I’m curious how long will I live?….I’m stressed!
Hi Kelv,
Stress isn’t good for anyone. If its affecting your way of life you could try some relaxation techniques. You may also want to speak to your doctor. Though the headaches could be stress related, malaria isn’t.
I’m a HIV positive patient, I’m 26 years old. I’m a graduate, when ever I stress myself I easily fall sick(malaria and headache) what can I do about it.
Hi Jason,
Though you’ve got the same symptoms to what you had in 2008 this doesn’t mean that your CD4 count has dropped that low. But to know for sure you’ll need to have your CD4 count tested.
When was the last time you had your CD4 count and viral load tested? I know that it can in some instances be difficult to get ARVs in the US, however there are organisations that can help. Have you approached any of the US based organisations for some help?
I am 46, have been off Atripla since I lost my insurance in 2016. I have had fever of 103-105 for a week now, and a horrible case of thrush.
Was diagnosed in 1997, and in 2008 I had the same symptoms with a t-cell count of 7. Terrified and lost.
Jason
Hi Paul,
Is it access to meds that you need to know about, or what meds are their for HIV?
If you want to know what meds there are for treating HIV and how they work please see the following guide:
http://i-base.info/guides/starting
If its access. ARVs are widely available in Nigeria.
Hi I’m Paul from Nigeria. Please I need help just to treat myself for this infection.