Summary report from the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Aging Consensus Project: treatment strategies for clinicians managing older individuals with the human immunodeficiency virus

Abstract

By 2015, most of the people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States will be aged 50 and older. Many will have known their HIV status for at least a decade, and most will have received antiretroviral therapy for some, if not all, of the time since testing positive. As these individuals advance in years, they frequently acquire diseases more commonly associated with aging than with HIV. This represents a unique challenge for today's medical providers. Although these individuals may appear considerably older than their chronological age, they are typically too young to see a geriatrician. An HIV specialist, although knowledgeable in the nuances of antiretroviral therapy, may be less comfortable managing multiple age-related illnesses. Similarly, a geriatrician experienced in managing multiple, age-related conditions may be less familiar with adjusting HIV-related therapies. In this era of caring for older adults with HIV, these two medical disciplines are finding they have much to learn from each other.