Can you live a long life with HIV?
Thirty years ago, being diagnosed with HIV was considered a death sentence. Today, people with HIV can live long and healthy lives. 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.
Can you survive HIV with treatment?
THURSDAY, June 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- HIV may not be the death sentence it was 20 or 30 years ago, but people who are HIV-positive still face much shorter lives than other adults -- even if they're treated with medications that make the virus undetectable.Jun 18, 2020
Can you live 20 years with HIV?
Specifically, by the end of the study, a 21 year old with HIV was predicted to live to the age of 77, whereas a 21 year old without HIV would live to the age of 86.Mar 13, 2020
What is the longest someone has lived with HIV?
Joseph Gaxiola, who has lived with HIV for 21 years, in his office at the Joshua Tree Feeding Program — a food pantry for the HIV positive community in Phoenix — where he volunteers as chairman.Feb 25, 2020
Factors That Reduce Life Expectancy
- Despite these advances, there are factors that can increase or decrease the life expectancy of people with HIV. These range from things we can control (such as taking our pills every day) to things we can't (such as race or poverty). These factors not only influence not only how a perso…
Losses in Life Years
- There is not always a straight line between how certain risk factors increase or decrease the life expectancy of someone with HIV. This is because people tend to have overlapping risk factors. Take, for example, Black men who have sex with men (MSM). The combination of racism, poverty, homophobia, and stigma—as well as the biological vulnerabilities to HIV—places Black MSM in t…
Summary
- Studies show that people living with HIV today can expect to live a near-normal life expectancy if treatment is started early and taken every day as prescribed. Even so, there are things that can undermine a person's ability to do so. This includes factors likes poverty, stigma, racism, and homophobia that can stand in a person's way of accessing consistent care and treatment. Othe…
A Word from Verywell
- As encouraging as the statistics are, it doesn't mean you have less to worry about when it comes to HIV. In the end, the choices you make will determine how well you respond to treatment and influence your individual risk of both HIV- and non-HIV-related illnesses. Ultimately, HIV is about more than just pills. You need to also take of your general health by eating a healthy diet, exercis…