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.
I m 37 years old staying in India recently I got infected with positive reaction and started my ARt also , I can say today going to my second day , n I drink alcohol but moderate daily basis , doctor prescribed me one tablet in a day at night time combination of 3 and one tablet contain 1200mg having fear for side effects and life threatening effects , but I m very strong and ready to fight and move on just suggest me how ART works , I done with all blood check up all normal and my cd4 count is 497 before start ART but today is my second day to take tablet , I done all counselling but fear not going away though I consult other people who is already in ARt , what should I do with weared dreams at night which is so scary. Help me pls
Hi Dada,
If you have just been diagnosed this can be a tough time. But hey, slow down. Take time. It is going to be okay.
It’s difficult to cope with HIV on your own. If you don’t know anyone else who is positive, find out about HIV support groups. Your clinic should know about these. Even if you only go a few times, the chance to talk to other people who have been through a similar experience will help.
Please read more at this link to If you have just found out you are HIV positive…
It’s great that you love your BF, that’s a good reason to ask for support at the clinic. Finding out how other people cope can really help.
Dada
I found out Friday dat I am HIV I am thinking of committing suicide en my BF doesn’t wanna go to test en I love him. Am scared to sleep wit him without condom coz I didn’t told him yet dat I am HIV.
Hi Grace,
Has your husband started HIV treatment (ART) yet? ART is now safe and effective. This can reduce the amount of HIV in his blood test to very tiny amounts. This result is called undetectable and means the viral load test will come back at less than 50 copies/mL.
Having an undetectable viral load for several months means that HIV is under control. Once that has happened you can decide about not using condoms. That’s because there is zero risk of transmission once stable on treatment and undetectable even without using condoms. There’s more about U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) here.
My husband just got found out he has hiv , I went two days later to check I am still negative. He still wants to have sex with me how do I manage this? He does not like using condon please help
Hi Brown from Benin,
Rash can be a side effect of several HIV drugs (ART). Although is is often mild, it can also be very serious. Serious rash can be a side effect of efavirenz, which is included in Atripla. Anyone getting a rash after starting ART should contact their doctor or clinic straight away.
Has your friend spoken to the doctor yet? Any symptom or side effect should be discussed with a doctor, especially a rash.
You can read more on this question here.
Please I have a friend who is taking his drugs but still having some sores and rashes all over the body, what do he need to do
Hi Fida,
You can try the National AIDS Control Programme who might help to link your brother to care and HIV treatment (ART). But modern ART is safe and effective and can also help when people are very ill. Here’s a guide to starting ART that includes information about 2 blood tests that are essential for treatment. They are the CD4 count and viral load.
Hi my name is Fida my younger brother who’s age is 22 just yesterday found HIV positive and indications are looks like at advanced level so kindly guide me what to do on urgent base and what is hope against HIV in Pakistan?
Taking care of your self, eating healthy, having positive lifestyle, and teaching other people about hiv/aid because i think lots of people still lack information. Stop stressing, what you can do is be yourself. As long you take you medication you can live longer no matter what.