I turned 40 this year. As I was diagnosed with AIDS and various AIDS defining illnesses 28 months ago CD4 136 VL >100,000, and am now relatively healthy I should be thankful. I m not I m frightened. Obviously I am on meds Sustiva and Kivexa have no side effects, dont smoke, no drugs and lead a pretty healthy lifestyle. Weight now 12 stone 10 as opposed to 8 and a half 28 months ago. I have read that people now can expect a near normal life span. Sorry but I just dont believe it. People are still dying young from HIV/AIDS, and the drugs aint been around for that long. Plus the media is always reporting HIV as a terminal illness. So u can understand my concern. But I also realise that not be able to put these thoughts away is preventing me from enjoying my life. Any advice?

Believe the hype! News papers seem to love bad news about HIV but seem to forget to tell the story about the success. People still die with HIV, as you rightly say, but many fewer die because of HIV. Amongst large cohorts of people with HIV deaths related to HIV assocated opportunistic diseases typically acount for 40% or less of deaths. These are often related to HIV malignancies, especially lymphoma, or in persons who have extensively resistant virus and have run out of options. New drugs should mean fewer people will be in this no options situation. The remainder of deaths in HIV persons are typically related to other diseases, hepatitis leading to liver disease, non-HIV cancers and heart or kidney disease, the common diseases of aging. Hence this forum. Many people have been on current or related treatments successfully since 1996 and there seems to be no let up in the benefits. You are doing well with treatment so can be confident that of you continue to take and tolerate you meds you will continue to do well. So start planning ahead and start enjoying those many many years of healthy life you never though you would have! regards Dr Moyle