Increased life expectancy for people with HIV

People with HIV have a life expectancy 15 years longer than in 1996, due to improved, early treatment and more effective drugs, according to research by the University of Bristol’s School of Social and Community Medicine.

Researchers estimated the life expectancy of people with HIV and compared it with the general population in the UK. They studied 17,661 patients, 1,248 of whom died between 1996 and 2008, and found that their life expectancy increased from 30 years to almost 46.

They used data from the UK Collaborative HIV Cohort study, which in 2001 began collating routine data on HIV positive people attending some of the UK’s largest clinical centres since January 1996.

During the period 1996 - 2008, life expectancy was calculated at 40 years for male patients and 50 years for female patients compared with 58 years for men and nearly 62 years for women in the general UK population.

The authors conclude: “Life expectancy in the HIV-positive population has significantly improved in the UK between 1996 and 2008 and we should expect further improvements for patients starting antiretroviral therapy now with improved modern drugs and new guidelines recommending earlier treatment.

“There is a need to identify HIV-positive individuals early in the course of disease in order to avoid the very large negative impact that starting antiretroviral therapy at a CD4 count below 200 cells/ mm3 has on life expectancy.”

The research was published in the BMJ