The Co$t of Living With HIV

[ChaplinGuy]

I thought this was worth a read for folks, as it's often a topic of conversation. Now real, hard data on the average lifetime cost of treating this disease:

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/129/117376

[Life]

I don't think i wana click that link...

[Blixer]

A very interesting article!  Lots of statistics in there that should make a lot of people stop and think.  I thought one of the most interesting points was that treating HIV is expensive, but getting a "late start" on treatement is even more expensive.  The point that meds make up about 70% of the cost is quite interesting.  Hopefully that is one area that we can see some reduction in costs as time goes on.

[Eldon]

Hey Chaplinguy,

As quoted: "Unfortunately, one in four people with HIV don't know they're infected. They find out only when their immune system collapses"

This is a true statement. Also, the government should step in to place some sort of regulation with the associated costs of the HIV medicines.


Make the BEST of each Day!

[Cliff]

...and we're worth every penny.

[SoSadTooBad]

May sound stupid, but I thought it would be more.  A decent sized car accident can cost $100,000 in medical expenses.  Smoking and other lifestyle related diseases like obesity probably have similar profiles in terms of expense. 

I sure wish I was not in this boat, but at this point, I am not so sure a lifetime of HIV treatment is so different from many other chronic illnesses. 

As patents expire, the introduction of generic drugs will drastically reduce the cost of medication over the next 10-20 years - even as new medications are introduced, generic versions of today's old standbys will offer a less expensive alternative for many.

Funny how much less of a stigma it would be to have cancer from a lifetime of smoking, or traumatic injury from a motorcycle accident.  We all just got 'lucky', I guess.

[DingoBoi]

hrmmm

People with HIV can get 24 extra years of life from modern treatments -- at a total cost of $618,900 in 2004 dollars.

32+24=56

nice to have a death date.  So much easier in planning then.

[Esquare]

hrmmm

32+24=56

nice to have a death date.  So much easier in planning then.

Yeah that is nice to know now. 

[aztecan]

When first introduced in 1996, a combination of then-new HIV drugs increased life expectancy by four years.

I knew there was a reason I don't like to sit still. I missed my death date by six years! 

HUGS,

Mark

(Who, despite the statistics, is still kicking.)

[Eldon]

Hey Mark,

You remind me of the Energizer Bunny, you know the pink rabbit with the drum? He keeps going and going....lol!

Right On The Mark!!!


Make the BEST of each and every Day!

[poet]

What caught my eye is the years expectancy.  Since I seroconverted in 1984, I will have reached the 24 something years in 2008.  Of course back in the dark ages, it took 2 years for me to get a diagnosis and I didn't start meds until the mid-1990's.  It wasn't that I was resisting treatments so much as the then available mono treatment didn't make any sense to me until my cd4's had reached a critical number at which point I did start and, fortunately, the cocktail had just been invented.  Not factored into this that I can recall are the medications and medical care which 'normal' people need as they age.  Win

[Jeffreyj]

40,000 new cases annually. I find that unacceptable. I guess people just accept that as  a given. How complacent we all have become. So much more needs to be done in prevention and education. The lack of leadership in this area makes my head hurt.

I can't wait to vote ALL incumbents out of office on Tuesday. The USA is a floating piece of driftwood with no direction. We are falling apart as a nation.

[Maestro]

How on earth do they come up with this 24 year number?  If the article states that combo drug therapy started in 1996, then that was just 10 years ago.  Are they guessing another 14 years are coming?  The article clearly seems to state that the 24yrs are due to combo therapy. 

[ChaplinGuy]

Agree that the most jarring part of that article in the 24 year life expectancy claim. But the doctor quoted clearly states "at least" when speculating about the added years given current treatments.

And as many people here pointed out, many who are celebrating the quarter century HIV+ mark are still going strong! I think that the medical profession likes to have quantifiable data to champion, but it's important to remember that data is only as good as yesterday's results. For people who start HAART tomorrow, who catch it early ... I don't think they yet know how long you can survive infection today.