Medical insurance news - HIV life expectancy rises in UK

People with HIV in the UK can expect to live longer thanks to modern drugs and reduced diagnosis times, according to a new study. Medical insurance customers with HIV are now living up to 15 years longer than they were a decade ago.

The report, published in the British Medical Journal, suggests that health authorities could consider widespread testing for HIV, such are the potential benefits of early treatment and the improvements seen in antiretroviral therapy.

Figures indicate that around 25 per cent of the 80,000 people in the UK that carry HIV are not aware they have the infection, so medical insurance policyholders could be advised to get tested as early as possible.

The researchers studied the life expectancy of the average 20-year-old who began treatment with anti-retroviral drugs between the years of 1996-1999 and 2006-2008. During this time the doctors found that the average life expectancy increased from 30 to almost 46 years of age.

Researchers, led by the University of Bristol's Dr Margaret May, also suggested that women with HIV could expect to live up to a decade longer than men, although this may be down to the fact women are tested for the infection during pregnancy and treatment can often be started earlier.

Mortality rates have decreased so rapidly that now there is very little difference between the risk of death in successfully treated HIV-positive patients and people with unhealthy lifestyles that drink heavily and/or are obese, as well as those suffering with chronic conditions such as diabetes.

Sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust said the research was great news for people with HIV and families affected by the illness.

Chief executive Sir Nick Partridge said the research proves that late diagnosis and treatment of the infection could mean patients die earlier, so medical insurance customers who are unsure if they have the disease should get themselves tested as soon as possible.

"While so much has changed 30 years on from the start of the epidemic, condoms continue to be the best way to protect yourself and your partner from HIV in the first place," he added.

Dr May said she expects further improvements to be made for patients starting antiretroviral therapy now with improved modern drugs and guidelines which encourages people to get treatment earlier.

"Our findings strongly support the concept of more widespread HIV testing. It is also of clear benefit to patients to have the prognosis made in terms of their life expectancy and this might have considerable impact on patients' uptake of testing," she commented.

Lead clinician of North Bristol NHS Trust and co-author Dr Mark Gompels added: "These results are very reassuring news for current patients and will be used to counsel those recently found to be HIV-positive."

Earlier this year, leading experts from the Health Protection Agency called for GPs across the UK to offer testing for HIV to all adult male patients in certain areas.

The calls came after data showed that the number of cases among males in the country had risen from just 2,000 in 2001 to nearly 3,800 last year.