Average lifespan for someone with aids

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Question:

I have two short questions for you. First, what is the average lifespan of someone who is HIV(+) from the day the person is infected? Second, does smoking in anyway aggrevate the disease? Many thanks for your work!

Dr. Kaiser replies:

I believe that we now have the knowledge and tools necessary to keep someone who is newly infected with HIV alive for a normal, healthy lifespan. However, it is very important to keep in mind the following points:

First, that you make intelligent choices about when to start medications and which drugs to choose. Unless, you are within the first six months of exposure to the virus, I usually recommend delaying the start of antiviral therapy as long as possible (providing your CD4 count is over 300 cells/mm3).

Second, it is very important that you are responsible for taking care of your health. That means eating a healthy, natural foods diet, taking the right kinds of antioxidant vitamins, exercising regularly, and not abusing drugs. That includes alcohol and cigarette smoking. Cigarette smoking will shorten your lifespan if you are HIV(+), just as it does if someone is HIV(-). It makes cancer and heart disease more likely as well as puts a stress on your immune system. These conditions are also made more likely by the presence of HIV infection so you essentially double the likelihood that you will have one or more of these problems. I hope this gives you a clear message and that you try to quit smoking as soon as possible. You can live a normal, healthy lifespan being HIV(+), however you have to become much more informed and involved with taking care of your health. Good luck!

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