Question: Im having a hard time dealing with this...? My ex-boyfriend recently passed away at the age of 33.  We dated a year before I left him.  Two years after I left him I was told he'd passed away from complications of HIV/AIDS.  He was in denial, refused all meds and didn't tell anyone - not even his family.  I didn't know he was HIV positive until after his death.  Since he didn't talk about it - no one knew how long he had it.  I've since been tested and am negative, but my question is (finally I know) how long can it take for AIDS to develop in an HIV positive person if they refuse all medication?  Could he have contracted it after I left?  Or before?  His symptoms first developed six months after I left him (he was hospitalized for bloody & loose stools, & dehydration).  He must have felt so alone and so deeply depressed.  Please, I prefer answers from those in the medical field only.

Answer: It can take many years for someone who is HIV positive to develope AIDS. It would be Extremely unlike  that your boyfriend became infected and died in less than 2 years even without any treatment. And contrary to the first reply, I am a physician.
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