A new study has found that with increasing age, people with HIV are prescribed more medications due to conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. However, older patients were found to have lower amounts of HIV virus in their blood (viral load) and better HIV-related outcomes than younger HIV-positive adults.

The study – carried out by investigators from the University of Alabama, and published online in the Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care – was designed to look at health problems that HIV-infected adults might face as they get older.

The researchers reviewed the electronic medical records of 1,478 adult patients seen in an HIV clinic between May 2006 and August 2007. They looked for any medical conditions patients might have as well as other health indicators, such as blood pressure, across each decade of life.

As they got older, people with HIV showed an increasing number of conditions commonly associated with aging, including heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.

Older HIV patients were also more likely to have nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy) and kidney problems, which can be a result of long-term exposure to antiretrovirals and HIV.

In addition, the number of prescribed medications increased with age.

The authors of the study wrote that these factors can make treating HIV more complicated as people age. More prescriptions mean a greater risk of drug-drug interactions and side effects. In addition, kidney problems and a slower metabolism may affect how quickly the body processes drugs, including antiretrovirals, which means dosages may need to be adjusted.

In spite of this, however, older patients had better HIV-related outcomes than their younger counterparts.

Older adults had better viral control, as shown by lower HIV viral loads, and similar CD4 counts (white blood cell counts) as younger HIV-positive adults. The authors suggested this may be because older adults with HIV are more likely to stick to their medication regimens.

Older patients were also more likely to keep their medical appointments, which is associated with better health outcomes. In addition, they were more likely to have health insurance.

Younger adults with HIV, in contrast, were more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs.

The authors of the study emphasized the importance of prevention and awareness of common age-related diseases among people with HIV, particularly as such diseases may be aggravated by antiretroviral therapy.

In addition, the researchers are currently doing a follow-up study on improving brain function in older HIV-positive adults.  “We are conducting studies on older adults with HIV and using cognitive remediation therapy [therapy to improve memory and brain function] to improve the efficiency with which they process information,” said David Vance, lead author of the study. “It is hoped that this will improve their cognitive status.”

For more information, please see the study in the Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (abstract).