Current HIV/AIDS Reports · Mar 11, 2021
Probing the Interface of HIV and Inflammaging
By Sieg SF, Shive CL, Panigrahi S et al.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Systemic inflammation increases as a consequence of aging (inflammaging) and contributes to age-related morbidities. Inflammation in people living with HIV is elevated compared with the general population even after prolonged suppression of viremia with anti-retroviral therapy. Mechanisms that contribute to inflammation during aging and in treated HIV disease are potentially interactive, leading to an exaggerated inflammatory phenotype in people with HIV. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies highlight roles for anti-retroviral therapy, co-infections, immune system alterations, and microbiome perturbations as important contributors to HIV-associated inflammation. These factors likely contribute to increased risk of age-related morbidities in people living with HIV. Understanding mechanisms that exaggerate the inflammaging process in people with HIV may lead to improved intervention strategies, ultimately, extending both lifespan and healthspan.