Everyone is at risk for chronic illness, regardless of HIV status. The most common chronic illnesses in countries like the UK are heart disease and diabetes, and chronic illnesses are the most common causes of death in the UK and in most European countries.
The good news is that these common chronic illnesses can often be prevented by healthy lifestyles. Eating well-balanced diets rich in fruit and vegetables, exercising regularly, avoiding alcohol and not smoking are all ways to help prevent chronic illness. Your doctor, nurse, or health advisor should be able to give you information about how to make healthy decisions that will help prevent chronic illness.
Being diagnosed HIV positive can make you think it is HIV that will end your life, but that isn’t the case. Because of all the advances in medication, it is possible
for people with HIV to live long lives. In fact, because people with HIV in the UK are living longer, they are at least as vulnerable as non-HIV positive people to get a chronic illness, such as heart disease or diabetes. While it is very important to treat your HIV, it is also very important to take care of other parts of your health, so that you prevent chronic illness.
