Question
How bad is it to have diabetes and HIV together?
21 March 2012. Related: All topics, Complications and coinfections, Living with HIV long-term, Pregnancy.
I am a 30 years old woman .I have been HIV positive since 2009 and on combination treatment. Currently my viral load is undetectable and my CD4 count is above 500.
I just had a baby girl last month. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes while pregnant.
Now that I have the baby, I have been asked to have a glucose tolerance test done to check whether it was just during the pregnancy or if I could be at risk of diabetes.
My question is being HIV positive, how bad it is to have diabetes also? And what types of treatment will I have be put on? Basically I would just like to know quite enough about the condition, just to be prepared.
Thank you.
Answer
First of all congratulations on the birth of your baby girl! I hope mother and baby are doing well.
Gestational diabetes is caused when pregnancy hormones block the production of insulin in the body. This leads to increased blood sugar levels. Most women see their blood sugar levels return to normal after delivery but for others these remain high. This is why you have now been asked to take a glucose tolerance test.
Some studies have shown that HIV positive women receiving antiretroviral treatment during may be at higher risk of gestational diabetes. This is an area that requires more study however as there have been conflicting results in different studies.
Even if your glucose levels have returned to normal following delivery there is still a chance you could develop diabetes. Unfortunately many women with gestational diabetes go on to develop diabetes 5-10 years after delivery. Some studies have also shown that people with HIV may be at higher risk of developing diabetes. For this reason it is important to remain conscious of your future blood sugar levels even if your next test shows they have returned to normal.
The positive news is that because there are relatively high numbers of people living with both HIV and diabetes there is a good level understanding around treatment.
You asked what type of treatments you would be likely to be put on. Many people are able to control diabetes through lifestyle changes such as increased exercise and weight loss. Healthy eating and stopping smoking are also important for diabetes treatment. HIV positive people with diabetes should see a specialist HIV dietitian for help with dietary changes. HIV dietitians can help balance any dietary requirements to do with ARV treatment with the needs of diabetic treatment.
Some ARVs are also implicated in causing increased glucose levels. Your doctor should review which ARVs you are receiving to see if these could be affecting your diabetes. Could you tell me which ARVs you are currently receiving?
Finally if diabetes cannot be controlled through changes in lifestyle changes or ARV changes treatment with diabetic drug therapy is recommended. For more information on the drug therapies used in treating diabetes alongside HIV please follow this link.
Hi
Thank You for this wondering website where such relevant information is shared with people in such conditions as HIV and diabetes. My question is more diabetes related. I have been diagnosed with diabetes two days ago with my glucose level at (h1) level on the mobile testing machine simply meaning its too high to be readable by the device. i have been hospitalized to try and monitor to degrease it to normal level however its proving to be difficult, i have a very good doctor when is a specialist and have full faith his doing his level best any advise or anyone who has experienced the same my level is currently on 19.2. The previous test done was 16.2 its really fluctuating rapidly and is a major cause of concern to me Please help…..!
Hi Vamuhle. Thanks for writing about your situation. Having diabetes and HIV is slightly more complicated that just having one of these but you can still have a family of this is part of your life plans. Please talk to your doctor about different ways to manage HIV and diabetes. You have already been doing so well to manage diabetes for so long that I am sure you will manage HIV which is much easier. Is your diabetes Type 1 or Type 2?
HELLO everyone i want to ask I’m diebetic since 2011 and this year i found out that I’m also hiv positive so I’m wondering this its would not affect me bcs I’m 22 years and i don’t have baby, i want to know that i would be having chances of having a baby when the time is ryt cus I’m really scared that this two dieses will affect my future, and i would like to know how is dangerous?
Hi Simphiwe – I need to know the names of all your meds to check this. In general diabetic meds are ok with most HIV meds. You can also check with your doctor ro use the online interaction charts at this link:
http://www.hiv-druginteractions.org
I am living with HIV and I am on ARV”s which is TENOFAVIR
I am also taking DIABETEC Meds
i am wondering if there is inter act with my diabetes and arv”s
please help
Hi Nelly
It is good you are starting ARVs – this will help you general health and maybe the diabetes.
Your doctor will make sure there are no interactions with your HIV meds.
Good luck on Tuesday.
Hi
I’ve been diabetic for 5 years and recently found out that I’m HIV positive. I’m on insulin, protofane and acrtafane… My CD4 count is 111 and I will start ARV’s on Tuesday. I am so scared because I am not sure if my body can handle both. I’m not sure if there is different kinds of ARV’s for people like me. I really need more info as to how best to handle my situation.
Thanks
Pls see this answer to a similar question.
http://i-base.info/qa/10282
Dat is good, but if I have hiv how many years will a prison live?
Hi! thank you for all this wonderful information. I hope you and your baby r ok. I appreciate you post your information and concerns about having diabetes and hiv since I love somebody who has these two deseases.