HIV afflicted people have higher chances of getting specific age-related diseases such as increased incidence of heart disease, COPD and bone fractures.

‘HIV is connected with the higher prevalence of age-associated diseases may be explained by persistent immunodeficiency and inflammation.’
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The umbrella review, led by academics from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge and the Medical University of Vienna, combined data from 20 separate observational studies and examined 55 different illnesses.Read More..





Published this week in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, the study found that people living with HIV have a significantly elevated risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and coughs, heart disease, pregnancy mortality, and sepsis, anemia, and bone fractures.
Although the number of people contracting HIV is declining, approximately 1.8 million people are infected every year, and HIV remains one of the world's major health issues.
In recent years, people living with HIV have benefited from improved access to antiretroviral treatment. However, increased life expectancy and a lower immunity have meant higher levels of comorbidity, with people living with HIV also more likely to suffer from other illnesses.
The greater prevalence of age-associated diseases may be explained by the persistent immunodeficiency and inflammation connected with HIV. There are also adverse effects associated with antiretroviral treatment. Previous studies have also suggested that people living with HIV in developed countries, as a population, often exhibit greater risk factors associated with non-AIDS related illnesses, such as smoking, drug use, and alcohol use.
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"By pooling data from different studies, we've been able to show for the first time that even with the rise in life expectancy amongst people living with HIV, this population now seems to be disproportionately affected by chronic illnesses often attributable to lifestyle issues such as smoking, drug, and alcohol use, or more commonly associated with an older population.
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Source-Eurekalert