![percentage of 50 year old gay men with hiv percentage of 50 year old gay men with hiv](https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/images/2013/PrevalenceSTI-2008.jpg)
In fact, insights Relf gleaned through his research on HIV stigma are what prompted him to delve deeper into HIV and aging. “Many older gay men, for example, lost a significant portion of their social network when their friends and partners died in the early days of the HIV epidemic.” “Many people aging with HIV have been socially isolated from their families and communities,” says Relf, who also studies HIV-related stigma. Loneliness, isolation, intersectional stigma and depressive symptoms are common among older adults living with HIV and can negatively impact their ability to access the health and social services they need.
![percentage of 50 year old gay men with hiv percentage of 50 year old gay men with hiv](https://www.glaad.org/sites/default/files/styles/1200x630/public/You%20Know%20Different%20NYAC.jpg)
One study found that the epigenetic age of the brain of a person with HIV was more than seven years older than those who don’t have HIV.īut the HIV-related challenges of aging extend beyond physical health.
![percentage of 50 year old gay men with hiv percentage of 50 year old gay men with hiv](https://www.hivplusmag.com/sites/hivplusmag.com/files/2015/12/04/alexander-cheves-3-x750.jpg)
Conditions such as avascular necrosis-the death of bone tissue due to interruption of the blood supply-disproportionately affect people living with HIV and can lead to the need for a hip replacement.Īnd people living with HIV are prone to cognitive and neurological problems such as earlier onset of dementia. HIV also heightens the body’s susceptibility to poor bone health. “The sustained inflammation from HIV over time, even when viral loads are suppressed, creates pathways in the body that increase the risk for cardiovascular disease, and some of the earlier antiretrovirals profoundly increased the risk for lipid disorders, insulin resistance and endocrine disorders,” says Relf, who studies HIV and aging. These factors include smoking, alcohol and drug use and poor nutrition, as well as other factors related directly to the disease and its treatment. Many people living with HIV have higher rates of risk factors for cancer and chronic illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, than the general population. Some HIV researchers, clinicians, and persons living with HIV refer to healthy aging with HIV as “the fourth 90,” signifying the importance of addressing the particular challenges this population faces. In 2014, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS established “ 90-90-90,” a treatment target to end the HIV epidemic: by 2020, 90 percent of people living with HIV will know their HIV status, 90 percent of people diagnosed with HIV will receive ART, and 90 percent of people receiving ART will have viral suppression.