HIV/AIDS How Long Does It Take for HIV to Progress to AIDS? By Mark Cichocki, RN twitter linkedin Mark Cichocki, RN, is an HIV/AIDS nurse educator at the University of Michigan Health System for more than 20 years. Learn about our editorial process Mark Cichocki, RN Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Latesha Elopre, MD, MSPH on May 17, 2020 linkedin Latesha Elopre, MD, is a board-certified internist specializing in HIV. She is an assistant professor of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Learn about our Medical Review Board Latesha Elopre, MD, MSPH Updated on May 22, 2020 Print How long does it take for HIV to progress to AIDS? In all but a few rare cases, if left untreated, HIV will progress to a stage of infection called AIDS. This is when the immune defenses have been compromised, and the body is less able to defend itself against potentially life-threatening infections. 2:51 Understanding HIV and AIDS Generally speaking, the time it takes to go from HIV infection to AIDS is around five to 10 years if no medical intervention is made. Differences in time can be due to any number of factors, including: The genetic strain of HIV a person has been infected with (some of which may be more or less virulent than others)The general health of the individualThe place where the person lives (including healthcare access and the incidence of other diseases or infections)A person's genetics or family historySmoking and other personal lifestyle choices This is, of course, if the person receives no treatment. The picture changes entirely if he or she does. Since 1996, the introduction of antiretroviral drugs has dramatically altered the natural progression of HIV infection. While HIV still cannot be cured, people newly diagnosed with HIV who get treated and stay in care can be expected to have near-normal to normal life expectancies. As with other chronic diseases, early detection is key to identifying and treating the infection as soon as possible. Stages of HIV Infection The stages of infection from person to person vary slightly, both in severity and the speed of progression. These stages map the depletion of immune cells (called CD4 T-cells) as the body's defenses further and further degrade. With each progression, the risk of opportunistic infections (OIs) increases until the immune system is said to be fully compromised. It is at this stage that the risk of illness and death is particularly high. The stages of infection can be roughly classified as follows: Acute Infection In acute infection, many people can have fever, fatigue, swollen tonsils, sore throat, diarrhea, or rash. These start shortly after exposure and can last about two weeks. Chronic Infection After the initial infection has been controlled by the immune system, the virus goes into hiding in cellular reservoirs, unnoticed by immune defenses. This chronic (or latent) stage of infection can last for years and even decades in some individuals until such time as the hidden viruses are reactivated (most often when the immune system is fully compromised and later-stage OI develops). AIDS The stage is technically classified as having either an AIDS-defining condition or a CD4 count of under 200 cells/mL. An AIDS diagnosis no longer means that a person will definitely get sick or die. Even if a person has a CD4 count below 100 cells/mL, the initiation of antiretroviral treatment (ART) can reconstitute immune function, occasionally to levels considered near-normal to normal. AIDS-Defining Illnesses and Conditions Treating HIV Infection Still, a complete cure remains elusive. Although two patients have been reported to be in long-term remission from HIV one year after ceasing ART, both were the recipients of bone marrow transplants intended to treat cancer, not HIV. Long-term remission outside of these patients has not been reported. In addition, the chance of a full immune recovery decreases the longer a person waits. It is, therefore, important that treatment is provided at the time of diagnosis, irrespective of the CD4 count, and that the person remain adherent to treatment for the span of his or her life. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get information on prevention, symptoms, and treatment to better ensure a long and healthy life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Langford SE, Ananworanich J, Cooper DA. Predictors of disease progression in HIV infection: a review. AIDS Res Ther. 2007;4:11. Published 2007 May 14. doi:10.1186/1742-6405-4-11 Dubé K, Ramirez C, Handibode J. Participation in HIV cure-related research: a scoping review of the proxy literature and implications for future research. J Virus Erad. 2015;1(4):250–256. CDC. Patient Information Sheet. Information About Acute HIV infection and PReP. Interim WHO clinical staging of HIV/AIDS and HIV/AIDS case definitions for surveillance. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/hiv/pub/guidelines/casedefinitions/en/. Published February 3, 2011. Deeks SG, Lewin SR, Havlir DV. The end of AIDS: HIV infection as a chronic disease. Lancet. 2013;382(9903):1525–1533. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61809-7 Purcell DF, Elliott JH, Ross AL, Frater J. Towards an HIV cure: science and debate from the International AIDS Society 2013 symposium. Retrovirology. 2013;10:134. Published 2013 Nov 13. doi:10.1186/1742-4690-10-134 Additional Reading Djawe K, Buchacz K, Hsu L, et al. Mortality risk after AIDS-defining opportunistic illness among HIV-infected persons—San Francisco, 1981–2012." The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2015;212 (9):1366-1375. Mandavilli A. H.I.V. is reported cured in a second patient, a milestone in the global AIDS epidemic. New York Times. March 4, 2019. The Antiretroviral Therapy Cohort Collaboration. Survival of HIV-positive patients starting antiretroviral therapy between 1996 and 2013: A collaborative analysis of cohort studies. The Lancet. 2017;4(8);PE349-E356. doi:/10.1016/S2352-3018/17/930066-8 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "1993 Revised Classification System for HIV Infection and Expanded Surveillance Case Definition for AIDS Among Adolescents and Adults." 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