The World Health Organisation now recommends 'antiretroviral therapy' to be given as soon as possible after diagnosis to all people with HIV.Young people with HIV may now have near-normal life expectancy because of the improvement in treatments, a new study in the Lancet journal suggests. Life expectancy of a 20-year-old who began antiretroviral therapy from 2008 onwards and had a low viral load after a year of treatment may approach that of the general population - around 78 years old, researchers said.
These increases are among treated individuals, and are in addition to dramatic life expectancy improvements that occurred after the introduction of antiretroviral therapy in the mid-1990s compared with untreated individuals, they said. The findings could reduce stigmatisation and help people with HIV gain employment and obtain medical insurance, as well as encouraging those diagnosed to…
