HIV and other health conditions

If you have HIV there are many steps you can take to protect your health: 

• take your antiretroviral medication every day as prescribed (sometimes called ‘adherence’) 

• eat healthily  

• exercise regularly 

• do not drink too much alcohol  

• do not smoke. 

If this is the case you may already be seeing two doctors. It's important that both doctors know what medication you take so they can keep you healthy. This is because, in some cases, drugs to treat another condition might react with your HIV treatment, making one or both of them less effective or unsafe.  

It is good if your doctors can talk to each other directly, but this isn’t always possible. The more you learn and understand about your health, the more you can help information to be shared between your doctors.  

During appointments try making notes about the names of any drugs you are taking. You can then pass this information on to any other healthcare professionals who are supporting you. 

Here are a few questions to help kick-off discussions on the issues you need to talk about! You can share them on social, on WhatsApp or just get talking.
 

Hepatitis B and hepatitis C are common co-infections for people with HIV, especially people who inject drugs. Both are preventable and treatable. Talk to your healthcare provider about how often you should test for them.  

Using a condom and not sharing needles can prevent hepatitis. You can also get vaccinated against hepatitis B.  

Different cancers can have different causes and some are more common in people who have HIV, especially as people with HIV get older. 

Some types of cancer can be prevented with vaccines and regular screening. For example, the HPV vaccine provides nearly 100% protection from cervical cancer. 

Properly taking your HIV treatment, eating healthily and exercising regularly can reduce your risk of cancer. 

We are still learning about COVID-19. But current evidence suggests that people with HIV have an increased risk of becoming seriously ill or dying from it.  

The best way to stay healthy is to properly take your HIV medication and any other medication you are on. It is also important to follow national guidelines on preventing COVID infections and testing, and get a COVID-19 vaccination. 

When someone with HIV has a weakened immune system (shown by a low CD4 count), they are at risk of other infections. These are called ‘opportunistic infections’ and can be very serious. They include types of meningitis, PCP (a type of pneumonia) and certain cancers. 

Properly taking your HIV medication is the best way to avoid opportunistic infections, as this strengthens your immune system.