What is the life expectancy for someone with HIV?

Although HIV cannot be cured, the longevity and quality of life of someone with HIV has greatly improved over the last twenty years. This is due to a variety of treatments that have been created to help control the condition.

The life expectancy for someone living with HIV on anti-retroviral treatment that they are responding too often gives someone with HIV the same lifespan as someone else in the general population.

If you do have HIV then there are a variety of different factors that will effect your life expectancy. This includes how early the condition was diagnosed, how early treatment began, as well as your gender, and if you smoke or drink a lot.

 Living with HIV & AIDS

If you are able to effectively manage your condition then you should be able to live a pretty normal life. As well as taking the HIV medication, there are things that you can do to improve your health, and reduce the risk of becoming ill. These include:

• regular exercise
• having a healthy diet
• not smoking or drinking

How will HIV affect my life?

There are a few different ways that HIV will affect your life. Some major things include:

• you won’t be able to donate blood or your organs
• you won’t be able to join the military
• you may have difficulty getting a life insurance to cover a mortgage, however there are now specialist life insurance policies for people with HIV
• there are a few countries that you won’t be able to visit

There are also some psychological impacts of HIV, however there are many support networks that are available to help.