HIV/AIDS: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, and More

2023-05-08 23:25:12

Part 21 of 21

HIV life expectancy: Know the facts

In the 1990s, a 20-year-old person with HIVhad a 19-year lifeexpectancy. By 2011, a 20-year-old person with HIV couldexpect to live another 53 years.

It’s a dramatic improvement, due in largepart to antiretroviral therapy. With proper treatment, many people with HIV canexpect a normal or near normal lifespan.

Of course, many things affect life expectancywhen you have HIV. Among them are:

  • CD4 cell count
  • viral load
  • serious HIV-related illnesses,including hepatitis infection
  • injection drug use
  • smoking
  • access and adherence to treatment
  • other health conditions
  • age

Where you live matters. People in the UnitedStates and other developed countries are more likely to have access toantiretroviral therapy. Consistent use of these drugs helps prevent HIV fromprogressing to AIDS.

Worldwide, there are approximately 36.7 million people living with HIV. Only about 46 percent have access toantiretroviral therapy.

When HIV advances to AIDS, life expectancywithout treatment is about three years.

An individual’s outlook depends on a varietyof factors, such as:

  • development of opportunisticdisease and infection
  • treatment options
  • response to treatment
  • adherence to therapy

Life expectancy statistics are just generalguidelines. Consult your doctor to learn more about what you can expect.

Learn more about life expectancy and long-termoutlook »

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