Ageing with HIV: Challenges and biomarkers

Abstract

The antiretroviral treatment (ART) developed to control HIV infection led to a revolution in the prognosis of people living with HIV (PLWH). PLWH underwent from suffering severe disease and often fatal complications at young ages to having a chronic condition and a life expectancy close to the general population. Nevertheless, chronic age-related diseases increase as PLWH age. The harmful effect of HIV infection on the individual's immune system adds to its deterioration during ageing, exacerbating comorbidities. In addition, PLWH are more exposed to risk factors affecting ageing, such as coinfections or harmful lifestyles. The ART initiation reverses the biological ageing process but only partially, and additionally can have some toxicities that influence ageing. Observational studies suggest premature ageing in PLWH. Therefore, there is considerable interest in the early prediction of unhealthy ageing through validated biomarkers, easy to implement in HIV-clinical settings. The most promising biomarkers are second-generation epigenetic clocks and integrative algorithms.

Keywords: Ageing; Biomarkers; Epigenetic clocks; HIV.

Figure 1

Interplay between HIV, ART and ageing. Hypothetical dynamics of the biological ageing process after HIV infection based on the studies performed in PLWH (red line) up to date. In untreated infection, the process seems more accelerated than non-HIV infection (blue line). With the introduction of ART, the biological ageing reverts. In this stage, the biological ageing is probably more accentuated than accelerated but the extent of this reversion remains unsettled.