Breakthrough Young HIV-infected people now have an almost normal life expectancy

The life expectancy of HIV-positive people has increased significantly
HIV-treated patients today have nearly as high a life expectancy in some parts of the world as the average population. This has been revealed by a recent study by international researchers. Thus, a young HIV-positive person, who started his therapy from 2008, about ten years older than a patient who was treated from the mid-1990s.

Researchers are studying the effects of modern HIV therapies
The life expectancy of young people living with HIV in the US and Europe is significantly higher today than it was 20 years ago. This emerges from the report of an international research team published in the journal "The Lancet HIV". The team led by study director Adam Trickey from the University of Bristol had addressed the issue of how the improved medical care of HIV-positive people in recent decades has affected the large-scale project.

Modern medicines and improved patient care mean that many people today live far longer than they did just a few years ago. (Image: gamjai / fotolia.com)

Combination of several active ingredients
The researchers evaluated data from a total of 88,504 people with HIV from 18 European and North American studies for their study, according to the University of Bristol. The patients were all older than 16 years and had begun between 1996 and 2010 a so-called antiretroviral therapy (ART). In this multiple drugs are combined to control the multiplication of the HI virus. While modern combination therapies can not cure the disease, they can significantly reduce viral load.

To assess how ART affects longevity, the researchers looked at how many of the subjects died during their first three years of treatment and documented the cause of death, the HIV viral load, the number of immune system CD4 helper cells, and their respective causes whether the deceased had been infected by an injection of medication.

Patients can live up to 78 years
It turned out that young HIV-positive people today can achieve almost the same age as the average of the population if they have a positive course of therapy. According to the study, a 20-year-old patient who started HIV treatment after 2008 and had a low viral load after one year could become up to 78 years old. This makes little difference to those who are not infected, because according to the Federal Statistical Office's mortality table 2013/2015, 30-year-old men today are 79 years old on average, while 30-year-old women have a life expectancy of just under 84 years.

The analysis showed that the life expectancy of 20-year-old patients with antiretroviral therapy increased by nine (women) and ten (men) years between 1996 and 2010, respectively. However, this does not apply to all people with HIV who are being treated. On average, life expectancy is 73 years for men and 76 years for women if those affected survive the first year of therapy. Those who were infected with the HI virus by injecting drugs did not experience an increase in life expectancy as high as in other groups, the researchers write.

Improved treatment options and fewer side effects
In general, the improvements are probably due to the transition to a therapy with fewer side effects, moreover, there are now more treatment options for people who are infected with a drug-resistant HIV strain. Furthermore, let e.g. The treatment of concurrent health problems such as cardiovascular disease and cancer has been improved, the statement said.

"Our research illustrates a track record of how improved HIV treatment, coupled with screening, prevention and treatment of HIV-related health problems, can extend the lifespan of people living with HIV," said Trickey of the School of Social and Community Medicine "at the University of Bristol.

"[...] The newer drugs have fewer side effects, include less tablet intake, better prevent virus replication and make it more difficult to develop resistance," said Trickey. According to the expert, however, further efforts are needed to adapt the life expectancy of those affected to the general population.

Hope for better opportunities for HIV-positive
The authors of the study now hope that their findings will help to reduce the risk of future high-risk individuals in the future and to initiate antiretroviral therapy immediately after diagnosis. Furthermore, it is desirable that this would reduce the stigma of HIV-positive people and could be helped, easier to find a job, the scientists write. (No)