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Review
. 2023;12(1):49-58.
doi: 10.14283/jfa.2022.45.

Frailty and Aging in HIV- Status Post 13 Years of National Awareness

U A Eke  1 , K Mohanty, A L Gruber-Baldini, A S Ryan
Affiliations
Review

Frailty and Aging in HIV- Status Post 13 Years of National Awareness

U A Eke et al. J Frailty Aging. 2023.

Abstract

The People aged 50 years and above comprise over 50% of people living with HIV (PLWH) in the US. Despite the advances made with anti-retroviral therapy in increasing their life span, PLWH are plagued with non-AIDS associated conditions which increase their risk for morbidity and mortality. Frailty, a decline in physical and functional reserve, is one of the manifestations of aging, has a prevalence of 5-30%, and occurs up to 2 decades earlier in people aging with HIV (PAWH). The majority of providers for PAWH have minimal experience with the concept of gerontology, frailty, and aging. Hence, there is a gap in clinicians' knowledge on how to address frailty and aging in PAWH. This review will focus on the clinical interventions that mitigate frailty and aging in PAWH as well as highlight areas of investigation towards achieving these mediations. Beyond the identification of the roles of exercise and nutrition, more studies are needed on the pragmatic approach to apply these resources to routine care. There should be continued reinforcement of the proven strategy of combination antiretroviral therapy as well as treatment of co-infections and age-appropriate health and cancer screening in PAWH.

Keywords: Frailty; HIV; aging; multimorbidity.

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Conflict of interest statement

Uzoamaka A Eke, Kareshma Mohanty, Ann L Gruber- Baldini and Alice S Ryan have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Frailty schematic showing HIV and other contributing factors. Abbreviations: HCV, hepatitis C virus; IDU, injection drug use
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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