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Can you know how long you have had Aids for?
Nov 1, 2007

If you were detected of Aids now and are full blown Aids, is there a way you can know how long you have had this before it turn into Aids or do you have to be HIV+ for a long time before you have full blown Aids? I need to know If its different in everyones body or if its the same for the viral load to be so advanced and in how much time or years? thank you very much

Response from Dr. Daar

The average time from infection to symptoms of AIDS is about 8-10 years without therapy. However, this interval is highly variable with rare people getting sick within one year of infection and others remaining asymptomatic with normal CD4 cells for upwards of 20 years. Because the interval is so varied there is no good way to determine how many years someone has been infected unless they had previously tested negative in the recent past.

Best, Eric



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