Life Expectancy Of Canadians Getting Treatment For HIV Approaching That Of General Population

published on December 19, 2013 in CBC

When HIV first came to widespread awareness in the early 1980s, a diagnosis was considered a near-death sentence. People often died within a few years of infection as their compromised immune system failed to fend off opportunistic viral and bacterial infections.

But according to a new study published yesterday in the journal PLoS One, the life expectancy among those in treatment for the disease is now approaching that of the general population.

The study, which was led by Hasina Samji at the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, estimated the life expectancy of patients on antiretroviral therapy in Canada and the U.S. It found that a 20-year-old diagnosed with HIV today can be expected to live an additional 51.4 years — in other words, into their early 70s. That compares to a life expectancy of 77 for males and 82 for females in the general population in Canada.

The finding is especially impressive when compared to life expectancy a decade ago. In 2000, a person newly diagnosed with HIV could be expected to live only an additional 36 years, to the age of 56.

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(Please do not use any of these email addresses to send personal information or book an appointment. To book appointments or contact the H2H clinic, please call 604-416-1517 or fax: 604-564-4893. Do not send your or your client's personal information via email.)

© Copyright BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
St. Paul's Hospital 608–1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6Z 1Y6
Tel: 604-806-8477 | Fax: 604-806-9044
General inquiries: info@bccfe.ca
Media inquiries: communications@bccfe.ca
(Please do not use any of these email addresses to send personal information or book an appointment. To book appointments or contact the H2H clinic, please call 604-416-1517 or fax: 604-564-4893. Do not send your or your client's personal information via email.)

Our work serves clients and communities across British Columbia on lands and waters cared for and nurtured by the many distinct First Nations across the province. The BC-CfE humbly and gratefully acknowledge the stewards of these lands, particularly the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) on whose unceded, traditional and ancestral territories our offices are located.