Treatment FAQ

how long can live with hiv with treatment

by Prof. Filiberto Kreiger PhD Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Specifically, a 35-year-old man who had a CD4 cell count over 350 and an undetectable viral load (below 400 copies/ml) one year after starting HIV treatment could expect to live to the age of 81. A 50-year-old man with the same results after one year of treatment was predicted to live to the age of 83.Nov 9, 2021

Full Answer

How long does HIV kills you?

Without treatment, a person may develop stage 3 HIV 2–15 years after contracting the infection. The life expectancy after a stage 3 HIV diagnosis is 3 years. However, with effective medication, many people never develop stage 3 HIV, and the incidence of opportunistic infections is much lower than it was in the past.

What is the life span of someone with HIV?

Key points

  • With the right treatment and care, people with HIV can live a normal lifespan.
  • People who have a good response to HIV treatment have excellent long-term prospects.
  • You can increase your life expectancy by not smoking and having a healthy lifestyle.

How long can a person remain healthy with HIV?

This has resulted in a highly effective HIV treatment regimen. In 1996, the total life expectancy for a 20-year-old person with HIV was 39 years. In 2011, the total life expectancy bumped up to about 70 years. The survival rate for HIV-positive people has also dramatically improved since the first days of the HIV epidemic.

How long can you live without knowing you have HIV?

The natural history of untreated HIV infection is as follows: Viral transmission followed 2-3 weeks later by acute retroviral syndrome, which can last 2-3 weeks, followed by recovery and seroconversion over the next 2-4 weeks. This is then followed by an asymptomatic period of chronic HIV infection that can last, on average, 8-9 years.

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Can I live a long life with HIV?

A new study reports that people who were HIV-positive at age 21 had an average life expectancy of 56 years -- nine years fewer than their virus-free peers.

Can you live 10 years with HIV?

At the time of the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in 1996, the average life expectancy of a 20-year-old newly infected with HIV was 10 years. 2 With a new generation of drugs that are not only safer but more effective, those numbers have leaped significantly.

How long does life expectancy last after HIV treatment?

This may have occurred before HIV was diagnosed and/or before HIV treatment was begun. These illnesses have a negative impact on life expectancy. Results one year after starting HIV treatment. Studies show that life expectancy is better for people who respond well within a year of starting treatment than for people who do not.

Why is life expectancy shorter for HIV patients?

Injecting drug use – life expectancy is shorter for people with HIV who inject drugs, due to drug overdoses and bacterial infections. It’s also important to consider things that affect everyone’s life expectancy, whether or not they have HIV.

How can HIV affect your life?

People who have a good response to HIV treatment have excellent long-term prospects. You can increase your life expectancy by not smoking and having a healthy lifestyle . HIV-positive people are living increasingly long lives.

How long can a 50 year old live?

Among men, a 35 year old and a 50 year old could expect to live to 78 and 81 years respectively. Among women, a 35 year old and a 50 year old were predicted to live to 81 and 83 years respectively. For people whose initial response to treatment was not quite so good, life expectancy was a little shorter.

How does HIV help people?

People living with HIV will benefit from improved anti-HIV drugs that have fewer side-effects, are easier to take and are more effective in suppressing HIV. Doctors’ understanding of how best to prevent and treat heart disease, diabetes, cancers and other conditions in people with HIV is improving.

Why is life expectancy longer?

Lifestyle – life expectancy is longer for people who have a balanced diet, are physically active, maintain a healthy weight, avoid excess alcohol or drug use, and remain socially connected. Avoiding smoking is particularly important for life expectancy.

When do HIV deaths occur?

When deaths do occur, they usually happen in the first year after diagnosis and involve people who were diagnosed with HIV very late, when they were already very ill because of HIV. In many of these cases, the person did not attend an HIV clinic or did not take HIV treatment, or only did so irregularly.

How long does a person with HIV live with a CD4 count of 200?

The life expectancy between those whose CD4 count is less than 200 at the start of treatment is 8 years less than those whose count is over 200 at the same time. 2 . Smokers with HIV lose more life-years to smoking than to HIV. In fact, the risk of death from smoking is twice as high among smokers with HIV , and can trim ...

How to determine life expectancy?

When looking at both static and dynamic risk factors, we can begin to identify where an individual can gain or lose life-years without even knowing it. Among them: 1 A person's CD4 count at the start of treatment remains one of the strongest indicators of life expectancy. The life expectancy between those whose CD4 count is less than 200 at the start of treatment is 8 years less than those whose count is over 200 at the same time. 2  2 Smokers with HIV lose more life-years to smoking than to HIV. In fact, the risk of death from smoking is twice as high among smokers with HIV , and can trim as much as 10 years a person's lifespan irrespective of HIV. 6  3 Race and longevity are integrally linked to HIV. According to a 2012 study, the mortality rate among HIV-positive Blacks was 13% higher than the rate for Whites and 47% higher than the rate for Hispanic populations. 7  4 Injecting drug users suffer losses, both in terms of HIV-and non-HIV-related illnesses. The strongest contributing factors were poor adherence and hepatitis C co-infection. All told, mortality rates are nearly twice as high for HIV-positive injecting drug users than HIV-positive non-injecting drug users. 8 

Can a 20 year old live with HIV?

With advances in antiretroviral therapy, people with HIV can today expect to live longer and healthier than ever If treatment is started early and taken daily as directed. 1 . A 20-year-old started on HIV therapy can expect to live into his ...

Does HIV affect longevity?

From an individual perspective, longevity is subject to numerous factors that can either increase or decrease life expectancy in a person with HIV.

Is HIV a long term concern?

Moreover, HIV is really only part of the long-term concern. Even for those able to maintain an undetectable viral load, the risk of non-HIV-associated diseases, like cancer and heart disease, is far greater than in the general population and can occur anywhere from 10 to 15 years earlier. 4 .

How long does a person live with HIV in 2011?

In 2011, the total life expectancy bumped up to about 70 years. The survival rate for HIV-positive people has also dramatically improved since the first days of the HIV epidemic. For example, researchers. Trusted Source.

How does HIV affect life expectancy?

HIV can quickly cause damage to the immune system and lead to stage 3 HIV, so getting timely treatment can help improve life expectancy. People living with HIV should visit their healthcare provider regularly and treat other health conditions as they arise.

Why are opportunistic infections life threatening?

These opportunistic infections may become life-threatening because they can damage the immune system when it’s already weak. If a person living with HIV develops an opportunistic infection, they will be diagnosed with stage 3 HIV, or AIDS. Some opportunistic infections include: tuberculosis. recurring pneumonia.

Why are people living with HIV?

Trusted Source. U.S. people are living with HIV, but fewer are contracting the virus each year. This may be because of increased testing and advances in treatment. Regular antiretroviral treatment can reduce HIV in the blood to undetectable levels. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

How many cells are needed for stage 3 HIV?

A healthcare provider will likely diagnose stage 3 HIV if the number of certain white blood cells ( CD4 cells) in an HIV-positive person’s immune system drops below 200 cells per mL of blood. Life expectancy is different for every person living with stage 3 HIV. Some people may die within months of this diagnosis, ...

Why is routine HIV screening important?

That’s why routine HIV screening is vital. Early detection and timely treatment are key to managing the virus, extending life expectancy, and reducing the risk of transmission. Those who remain untreated are more likely to experience complications from HIV that could lead to illness and death.

What are the long term effects of HIV?

These may include: accelerated aging. cognitive impairment.

How long does HIV last?

In the case of an untreated HIV infection, the overall mortality rate is more than 90%. The average time from infection to death is eight to ten years. This may; however, vary from person to person. Many factors affect survival:

How long does it take for HIV to progress?

If ART is not given, a chronic HIV infection usually advances to AIDS in 10 years or longer. In some people, however, it may advance faster. If ART is administered, the person may stay in this stage for several decades.

What is the final stage of HIV?

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome ( AIDS) is the final and most severe stage of HIV. In this stage, HIV reduces CD4 cell counts to very low levels (less than 200 units), which severely damages the immune system.

What is the stage of asymptomatic HIV?

Chronic HIV infection. This is the stage of asymptomatic HIV infection or clinical latency. In this stage, the symptoms of stage one go away but the HIV infection continues to multiply in the body, though at very low levels.

Does HIV increase over time?

With the increasing use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and the introduction of better antiviral regimens, survival with HIV infection has increased over time. The survival, however, is not yet equivalent to that in uninfected individuals.

How long do people with HIV live after diagnosis?

That’s a significant change from the early years of the epidemic when people who were diagnosed with HIV or AIDS could expect to live only 1-2 years after their diagnosis. This meant that the issues of aging were not a major focus for people with HIV disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2018, ...

How old are people with HIV?

For this reason, nearly half of people living with diagnosed HIV in the United States are aged 50 and older. Many of them have been living with HIV for many years; others were diagnosed with HIV later in life. That’s a significant change from the early years of the epidemic when people who were diagnosed with HIV or AIDS could expect ...

How many people with HIV have a neurocognitive disorder?

Researchers estimate that between 25 and 50% of people with HIV have HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND), a spectrum of cognitive, motor, and/or mood disorders categorized into three levels: asymptomatic, mild, and HIV-associated dementia.

What are the challenges of HIV?

Living with HIV presents certain challenges, no matter what your age. But older people with HIV may face different issues than their younger counterparts, including greater social isolation and loneliness. Stigma is also a particular concern among older people with HIV. Stigma negatively affects people’s quality of life, self-image, and behaviors, and may prevent them disclosing their HIV status or seeking the health care or social services that many aging adults my require. HIV care.

What is stigma in HIV?

Stigma is also a particular concern among older people with HIV. Stigma negatively affects people’s quality of life, self-image, and behaviors, and may prevent them disclosing their HIV status or seeking the health care or social services that many aging adults my require. HIV care.

What are the health issues associated with HIV?

People aging with HIV share many of the same health concerns as the general population aged 50 and older: multiple chronic diseases or conditions, the use of multiple medications, changes in physical and cognitive abilities, and increased vulnerability to stressors. In addition, while effective HIV treatment has ...

Does HIV cause inflammation?

These conditions are likely related to a number of interacting factors, including chronic inflammation caused by HIV. Researchers are working to better understand what causes chronic inflammation, even when people are being treated with ART. HIV and its treatment can also have effects on the brain. Researchers estimate that between 25 and 50% ...

How long can you live with HIV without treatment?

Without treatment, some people see their CD4 count drop to under 200 within a few years of infection, while others people can go for 5-10 years or longer before they need treatment.

What does ART mean for HIV?

Answer. The best way to answer this is to say that modern HIV treatment (ART) means that life expectancy is not affected by being HIV positive. HIV positive people with access to treatment can be expected to live as long as before they became positive.

How long can a person live with AIDS?

A person can potentially live for years, even with full-blown AIDS, but just how many years is highly variable from person to person. What we can say is that the vast majority of people infected with HIV will develop AIDS sometime during their life (an average of 10 years or more after infection), and with early intervention and treatment, ...

How long can a person live without HIV?

One recent study used mathematical modeling to predict that some HIV positive people (perhaps 10% or more) may live up to 25 years without getting AIDS. Because HIV has only been studied since the early 1980s, we cannot say at this time how accurate this mathematical model may be.

Is HIV still alive?

This is because there are some people who have been infected for many years (since the epidemic was first recognized in the early 1980s), and they are still alive today. Some of these patients have been found to have rare genetically defective strains of HIV that are not causing them any significant illness thus far.

Can HIV be drug resistant?

Drug resistant strains of HIV. People who have drug resistant strains of HIV may not live as long, if the drugs that are available are no longer effective. But if a person is responding well to their medications, they are expected to live longer. The genetic make-up of the person. A few people have genetic mutations in their white blood cells ...

Do people who have other medical problems live longer?

People who have other medical problems, and/or those with a history of substance abuse, may not live as long. How well the person takes care of themselves emotionally.

Is HIV more virulent than other strains?

The virulence of the strain of HIV. Some strains of HIV may be more virulent than others. We have already found cases where a person was infected with a rare genetically defective strain of HIV, and that strain was not causing any significant illness (so far). Drug resistant strains of HIV.

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