HIV patients a 'lower risk' than smokers

Research shows that virus sufferers are a safer option for life assurance

People suffering from HIV may be a safer bet for life assurance than middle-aged smokers who are not infected with the virus, an HIV specialist has claimed.

Speaking at the Royal College of Physicians, Professor Brian Gazzard, research director for HIV at the Chelsea and Westminster hospital, said that the latest drug therapies available to patients mean that survival chances have never been better.

"While the number of people diagnosed with HIV in the UK is rising, and is expected to rise further in years to come, the number of people developing Aids and dying is actually decreasing," revealed Gazzard.

Figures from the Health Protection Agency confirm Gazzard's assessment. A record 6,606 new cases of HIV were diagnosed in the UK in 2003, but deaths held steady at around 500 a year.

"The growing gap between diagnosis and death is down to new drugs and in particular highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART)," said Gazzard. "Before HAART, the average life expectancy of a person with HIV would be between 10 and 15 years, now most people can expect to live more than 20 years."

Gazzard also suggested that life insurers should consider individual circumstances when dealing with HIV positive applicants, such as whether they have adhered to previous courses of therapy and whether they have a high or low CD4 count, a key indicator as to how far HIV has progressed. He also dismissed suggestions that the drugs used to treat HIV significantly increase the risk of heart disease.

"The risk of a heart attack is increased slightly by taking anti-HIV drugs, but compared to the massive risk of cardiovascular disease presented by smoking, the risk is small.

"An HIV positive male currently on antiretroviral drugs and with a high CD4 count is a far better risk for a 10-year term assurance policy than a heavy smoker who does not have HIV," Gazzard concluded.

Insurers responded positively to Gazzard's analysis but claimed it could be some time before his recommendations become a reality. "These new drugs are in their very early stages and until there is hard statistical evidence on the table to back up these claims, it is unlikely that clients with HIV will be able to benefit from improved rates for life cover," said Roger Edwards, products director at Bright Grey.