Life expectancy after HIV diagnosis based on data from the counseling center for behavioral diseases

BACKGROUND Predicting life expectancy is an important component of public health, in that, it may affect policy making in fields such as social security and medical care., To estimate the life expectancy and the average years of life lost (AYLL) of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-infected population, compared with that of the general population, and also to assess the impact of the CD4 count, risk factors of transmission, marital status, and employment status on life expectancy. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study is a population-based cohort study. The sample consisted of HIV/AIDS-infected patients receiving care from 2001-2011. The patients were all adults (20-64 years) who were recruited from the Counseling Center of Behavioral Diseases. Life expectancy was measured based on an abridged life table, according to age-specific mortality rates and average years of life lost (AYLL) during the study period. RESULTS Forty-three of the 205 eligible patients died during 853 person-years follow-up. Compared to the general population, the life expectancy for patients with HIV infection at age 20 is about 36 years less. We have found that out a total of 1597 years of life lost during 2001-2011, compared to an overall AYLL for all HIV/AIDS, the deaths had occurred 36 years earlier than the life expectancy. CONCLUSION Life expectancy in HIV/AIDS-infected patients is about 38 years less than that of the general population at the exact age of 20. The deaths caused by HIV/AIDS occurred about 36 years before what was expected in the general population at ages 20-64, and many of these years of life lost could be saved if the health care system was implemented against the risk factors of HIV/AIDS.