The following is a summary of “Aging-Related Comorbidity Burden Among Women and Men With or At-Risk for HIV in the US, 2008-2019,” published in the August 2023 Infectious Diseases by Collins et al.

The impact of aging-related comorbidities on quality of life and mortality among people with HIV (PWH) and clinical guidance for Coexisting conditions screening and prevention aren’t clear. Researchers performed a retrospective study to evaluate how HIV affects aging-related additional health problems in modern US adults.

The study investigated cross-sectional data from US observational cohort studies of women (Women’s Interagency HIV Study) and men (Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study) with HIV. They included HIV-negative individuals with similar backgrounds. Participants were followed from 2009 for women (when more than 80% of participants with HIV reported antiretroviral therapy use) and 2008 for men until March 2019, when outcomes were evaluated. The study data were evaluated from July 2020 to April 2021, and the relationship with HIV status, age, and sex were analyzed using linear regression.

The study enrolled 5,929 individuals (median [IQR] age, 54 [46-61] years; 3,238 women [55%]; 2,787 Black [47%], 1,153 Hispanic or other [19%], 1,989 White [34%]). Women had a higher unadjusted mean comorbidity burden than men(3.4 [2.1] vs. 3.2 [1.8]; P = .02). Coexisting conditions differed by sex for various conditions such as hypertension (2,188 of 3,238 women [68%] vs. 2,026 of 2,691 men [75%]), psychiatric illness (1,771 women [55%] vs. 1,565 men [58%]), liver (1,093 women [34%] vs. 1,032 men [38%]), dyslipidemia (1,312 women [41%] vs. 1,728 men [64%]), bone disease (1,364 women [42%] vs. 512 men [19%]), cardiovascular (493 women [15%] vs. 407 men [15%]), lung disease (1,245 women [38%] vs. 259 men [10%]), diabetes (763 women [24%] vs 470 men [17%]), kidney (444 women [14%] vs 404 men [15%]) disease, and cancer (219 women [7%] vs 321 men [12%]). As per the unadjusted model, among PWH, the mean difference in coexisting conditions burden between women and men was significantly higher across all age groups: under 40 years, 0.33 (95% CI, 0.03-0.63); age 40- 49 years, 0.37 (95% CI, 0.12-0.61); ages 50 – 59 years, 0.38 (95% CI, 0.20-0.56); ages 60-69 years, 0.66 (95% CI, 0.42-0.90); ages 70 years and older, 0.62 (95% CI, 0.07-1.17). In contrast, in people without HIV, the sex difference varied by age: under 40 years, 0.52 (95% CI, 0.13 to 0.92); 40-49 years, −0.07 (95% CI, −0.45 to 0.31); 50-59 years, 0.88 (95% CI, 0.62 to 1.14); 60-69 years, 1.39 (95% CI, 1.06 to 1.72); 70 years and older, 0.33 (95% CI, −0.53 to 1.19) (P for interaction = .001). The adjusted model yielded less robust but still statistically significant results.

The study indicated a higher aging-related comorbidity burden in women than in men, especially PWH. The distribution of comorbidity prevalence also varied by sex. Considering HIV status and sex/gender differences, tailored screening and prevention approaches might be necessary.

Source: jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2807962