HIV was first declared a health epidemic in the 1980s, and at the time life expectancy was low. Life expectancy for people living with HIV and receiving proper treatment was about 19 years then but has gradually been increased to about 53 years after infection, thanks to scientific research that has been undertaken to unveil the HIV treatment medication referred to as Antiretroviral Therapy (ART). With the help of ART drugs, one can lead a healthy life just like the rest of the population.
It is, therefore, necessary to get regular HIV tests to diagnose the virus in time and immediately start medication to guarantee an extended life expectancy. According to studies, it is now clear that people living with HIV but start their ART treatment early can have reduced morbidity and mortality hence able to live as long as they would have lived without the virus.
Life expectancy for people with HIV, however, depends on other factors including;
- Age
- Gender
- Genetics
- Health status
- Presence of other conditions
- How soon medication is started
- How early the virus was diagnosed
- The lifestyle of the victim
According to a research carried out in Brazil, it was estimated that about 95.5 of HIV deaths within the first year of diagnosis was as a result of late diagnosis. The same research indicated that taking ART drugs would reduce the mortality by 39.5 percent. This is a clear reflection of how important early diagnosis and proper healthcare are in improve LE among people living with HIV.
Regular testing is today recommended across the world to ensure all people know their status to avoid transmitting the virus to other people and more importantly lead to a better quality of life that will improve their LE. It will also include doing away with unhealthy lifestyle activities like unprotected sex, smoking and alcohol consumption.
With ART, individuals in their 20s can live up to 70 years according to research by North American AIDS Cohort Collaboration on Research and Design. This is almost equivalent to the normal life expectancy of a person without HIV. Another Swiss Cohort agrees to this research in entirety stating that people with HIV that started their ART treatment when their CD4 cells count had not fallen below 350 cells per cubic millimeter are likely to have an LE similar to that of the general population.
References:
https://www.epainassist.com/infections/hiv-life-expectancy
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9516219
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3026775/
http://pag.ias2013.org/Abstracts.aspx?AID=2451
https://www.epainassist.com/infections/hiv-life-expectancy
Comments