BRITAIN: Life Expectancy For HIV+ On Therapy Nears National Average

According to a study out of the UK, the life expectancy for HIV+ people on anti-retroviral therapy is nearing the national average for all.

The latest forecasts of life expectancy in people with HIV in the UK, based on mortality data from the UK Collaborative HIV Cohort (UK CHIC) study, show that the average life expectancy of people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) with a CD4 count over 350 cells/mm3 is now very close to the national average, the eleventh International Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection heard last week.

The UK CHIC study also found that life expectancy, which lags behind the average in younger people, approaches normal as people age. There is starting to be some evidence, though based on very small numbers of patient records, that if people with HIV in the UK reach the age of 60, their life expectancy may actually be starting to exceed the average, possibly because of superior medical monitoring and treatment for people with HIV compared to other older people.

That last sentence is rather striking. (Tipped by JMG reader Bill)