what is the life expectancy if diagnosed with hiv, how long does the medication keep u alive?

Answer 1

11/10/2006: Study: Americans diagnosed with HIV today can expect to live 24 years
Category: General Posted by: Editors
By MIKE STOBBE
AP Medical Writer

ATLANTA — An American diagnosed with the AIDS virus can expect to live for about 24 years on average, and the cost of health care over those two-plus decades is more than $600,000, new research indicates.

Both life expectancy and the cost of care have risen from earlier estimates, mainly because of expensive and effective drug therapies, said Bruce Schackman, the study’s lead author.

The research found that the average annual cost of care is about $25,200 — nearly 40 percent higher than a commonly cited estimate from the late 1990s.

The new research also updates other studies from the 1990s, when life expectancy for HIV-infected people was closer to 10 years.

The study could influence how much state and federal governments appropriate for HIV and AIDS care and prevention in the future, some HIV policy experts said.

“They’re going to have to take into account medical advances that have extended people’s lives,” agreed Schackman, assistant professor of public health at New York’s Weill Cornell Medical College.
The study appears in the November edition of the peer-reviewed journal, Medical Care.

A 1993 estimate of life expectancy for a symptomless person infected with HIV was less than seven years.

But since the mid-1990s, about two dozen HIV-fighting antiretroviral drugs have come onto the market that have essentially turned HIV from a death sentence into a chronic disease.

Physicians now understand life expectancy after HIV diagnosis to be two decades or more, and the new study supports that belief.

“It’s nice to see that in writing,” said Dr. Carlos del Rio, co-director of Emory University’s Center for AIDS Research.

The researchers drew most of their data from 18 medical practices across the United States that provide care for 14,000 patients. The researchers looked at the records of about 7,000 of those
patients.

They used a computer simulation model to project HIV medical care costs, and concluded the average lifetime cost of HIV care is $618,000 per person.

That figure is roughly equivalent to lifetime cost estimates for heart disease and some other chronic conditions in women, who incur more costs than men because they live longer, the researchers said.
The researchers estimated the monthly cost of care at $2,100, with about two-thirds of that spent on medications. That equates to $25,200 a year. In 1998, the average annual cost was $18,300, according to an older study.

The difference is not just inflation — the costs of improved and more expensive HIV medications account for much of the difference, Schackman said.

Answer 2

I wish I could take you in my arms. You're only 18 and you're breaking my heart. Those who start HART upon diagnosis, fare the best. I don't think you've progressed to AIDS. That generally takes a number of years, not just one. The first stage follows the initial infection and lasts a few weeks. Most people feel like they've had the flu. This clears up and the second stage lasts on average for 10 years. There might be times when you feel a little crappy, but you get over it. If you choose not to take meds, you will, without a doubt, reach the third stage. And in about 10-12 years or so. But we don't know what the life expectancy is when HIV is treated. Untreated, it could be 12-15 years, I suppose. Somewhere around there. I would expect you to reach your early to mid-30s. On the bright side, you could surprise us all.

Answer 3

Some HIV patients who stay on their medication faithfully never develop full blown AIDS. With the newest medication some have even over time reversed and been found to be free of HIV. There is hope for a complete cure but you have to take the medication as though your life depends on it. I have Friends that have Been HIV + for 10 years or more and still have not converted to AIDS and live very normal lives. Good luck.

Answer 4

The vast majority of HIV patients taking the latest combination treatments survive at least a decade, say researchers.

Trials across several European countries found death rates from Aids have fallen by 80% since 1997, when the regime was introduced.

Older people infected with HIV no longer have a reduced life expectancy compared with the young.

Answer 5

If you have HIV, and follow your recommendations to plan, expect to live 10-15 years.

If you are lucky and provide additional resources for health, expect to live 15-25 years.

But these numbers are not canon. You could have a major issue with you and die within 6 months. It's a matter of how your body is doing NOW.

Be careful. And good luck.

Answer 6

i believe now in days you can stay alive as long as want. if you take your meds and live a healthy life. magic Johnson is a perfect example of that being possible to be able to live with the HIV virus.

Answer 7

depends on your imune system and what strand you have. Heres a site for more info

http://www.webmd.com/diseases_and_conditions/hiv_aids.htm?ecd=ppc_google_lifeexpectancyhiv_sexualhealth_hiv_search&gclid=cm3pu8ws5ygcfqzksaodzg8lkg