Dr.Bob Hi Dr.Bob I am a gay 44 year old man and have been dating a 27 year old guy for the last 4 months. We haven't had sex yet. We really like each other and just really wanted to get to know each other before we started having sex. Last week he found out he was hiv poz. It doesn't scare me that he is poz and I am negative. My question is what is the longevity of someone living with hiv with all the new drugs out.

Thanks

Hi,

I wish I had an infallible crystal ball to predict the future, but unfortunately I do not. The new drugs are exactly that new! Consequently we don't have long-term experience with them yet. What I can say is that the future looks a lot brighter today than it did 10 years ago and I assume (hope) it will look brighter still 10 years hence. With competent, comprehensive and compassionate HIV specialty care and access to the latest therapies, I would predict your boyfriend will die of old age, not HIV. One friend of mine told me recently: "I plan to live forever. So far, so good." Perhaps the most important piece of advice I can give about life is that it shouldn't be measured in length, but rather in depth. Enjoy today. Tomorrow will always be somewhat of a mystery for us all.

Dr. Bob