Living with HIV can increase your risk of certain illnesses. This is because the virus can impair your immune system’s ability to fight off infections.
HIV treatments like antiretroviral therapy can help support the health of your immune system and thus reduce your risk of illness.
This article focuses on some of the most common conditions associated with HIV, but this list is not exhaustive. It also does not address differential diagnoses (that is, other conditions that may cause HIV-like symptoms).
Hepatitis
There’s a strong association between HIV and hepatitis viruses, which affect the liver.
Specifically, there’s a strong link between hepatitis B (HBV) and HIV, as well as hepatitis C (HCV) and HIV.
Approximately 20% of people with HIV in the United States also have HCV, while 10% have HBV, according to the National Institutes of Health.
As with HIV, HBV and HCV are transferred through shared bodily fluids — such as through sex without a barrier method, blood transmission, and sharing needles.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), this means that coinfection with HIV and hepatitis is more likely.
Both types of hepatitis can lead to serious conditions like chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer, complicating HIV management and treatment.
Herpes
If you have HIV, you’re more likely to experience the following types of herpes viruses:
- herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), which usually causes oral herpes
- herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), which usually causes genital herpes
- varicella zoster virus (VZV), which causes chickenpox and shingles
- cytomegalovirus (CMV), which can cause serious complications such as retinitis, a condition that may lead to blindness, especially in individuals with advanced HIV
Despite the stigma surrounding herpes, it’s actually very common. In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO)Trusted Source estimated that about 67% of the world’s population under age 50 had HSV-1, while 13% of people between the ages of 15 and 49 had HSV-2.
Both viruses are more prevalent in people with HIV, as are other herpes viruses.
In people with herpes, HIV might worsen their symptoms. For example, they may have longer and more severe outbreaks of shingles or HSV-1.
Other infections
You’re more likely to experience one of these illnesses if your CD4 count falls below 200.
Some of these infections include:
- pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), a fungal infection that causes severe pneumonia
- candidiasis (yeast infection), which can affect the vagina, skin, and throat
- tuberculosis (TB), a bacterial infection that often affects the lungs but can be found in many areas of the body
- cryptococcal meningitis, a fungal infection of the fluid and membranes surrounding the brain or spinal cord
- toxoplasmosis, an infection caused by a parasite, which can lead to brain infections
In addition to making you more susceptible, HIV can make it harder for your body to fight off these infections.
