Many illnesses similarly common by time since HIV diagnosis at age 65+
In a cross-sectional study of 540 people with HIV aged 65 or older, many illnesses were similarly common regardless of time since diagnosis.
Limit: Deaths before age 65 could understate illness prevalence, especially among those diagnosed longest
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
A cross-sectional observational study assessed 540 people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) aged 65 or older at seven Canadian care centers. Their median age was 69, and 90% were male. HIV levels were undetectable in 92%. Researchers compared health conditions at enrollment across groups diagnosed less than 20 years, 20–30 years or more than 30 years earlier.
Participants had a median of three other health conditions. Many conditions, including stroke, arthritis and chronic kidney disease, were similarly common across the groups. After accounting for demographic, HIV and lifestyle factors, longer time since diagnosis was associated with a higher proportion of people having cancer, diabetes and peripheral neuropathy—damage to nerves outside the brain and spinal cord.
Why it matters
For people aging with HIV, the authors emphasized smoking, substance use and diet as important contributors to noninfectious illnesses. They also highlighted the importance of preventive cancer screening.
Caveats
This cross-sectional snapshot cannot establish cause and effect. Participants had survived to at least age 65 and were mostly male and white, limiting how broadly the findings apply.
From the paper
- Participants
We included 540 participants separated by the time since HIV diagnosis: group 1, less than 20 years (n = 131. 24%), group 2 between 20 and 30 years (n = 235, 43.5%) and group 3, more than 30 years (n = 174, 32%).
- Result
For the CVD category, higher prevalence was associated with participants of Black race (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.13–4.07) and there was a negative association with daily alcohol use (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.25–0.81).
Quoted word for word from the full text on onlinelibrary.wiley.com.
The paper
University Health Network
HIV Medicine, Oct 31, 2026, Open access, CC BY-NC-ND
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