A study from the US has found that some groups of people with HIV, especially those treated before their CD4 count falls below 350 cells/mm3, now have life expectancies equal to or even higher than the US general population. However, it also finds that life expectancy for some other groups – most notably women and non-white people – is still considerably below comparable members of the general population and that for people who inject drugs, life expectancy in the era of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has not improved at all.
A second study, which looked at death rates among both HIV-positive and HIV-negative members of two cohorts of people with or at risk of HIV, has found that the death rate from non-AIDS-defining illnesses among people with HIV who started ART above the 350 cells/mm3 threshold was not, and never has been, any higher than among comparable HIV-negative people. In other…