A recent investigation led by Stephanie Shiau, an assistant professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the Rutgers School of Public Health, has unveiled that women living with HIV undergo accelerated DNA aging, potentially leading to compromised physical function.
Published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, the research brings attention to the distinct difficulties encountered by women with HIV as they age, prompting avenues for tailored interventions aimed at improving health outcomes. With women constituting over half of the global population living with HIV and accounting for a significant portion of new infections in 2022, the study addresses an urgent concern.
Findings from the Women's Interagency HIV Study indicate that women with HIV experience heightened rates of bone loss, elevating their susceptibility to fractures with age.
Understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms of accelerated aging in HIV-positive individuals is paramount for devising targeted interventions to enhance their quality of life.
While previous studies have reported accelerated aging in people with HIV, these investigations have predominantly focused on men rather than women, as noted by Shiau.
The study examined a sample of 195 HIV-positive women aged between 40 and 60, comparing them with a cohort of HIV-negative women. Various analyses were conducted to explore the relationship between aging markers measured in blood and indicators of physical function, such as muscle strength, walking speed, balance, and endurance.
The study revealed that women with HIV exhibited an accelerated aging process compared to their chronological age.
Furthermore, both HIV-positive and negative women who struggled to maintain a single-leg stand for 30 seconds displayed signs of accelerated aging, suggesting potential links between accelerated aging and specific aspects of physical function. This underscores the necessity for further research to validate and comprehend these associations over time.
Shiau emphasized, "The findings indicate that women living with HIV undergo an accelerated aging process at the DNA level, which may impact functional outcomes. Future studies will be essential to ascertain the longitudinal implications of these findings."
This research not only provides insights into the unique challenges faced by women with HIV but also serves as a foundation for investigating long-term outcomes among individuals living with the virus.
Co-authors of the study include researchers from collaborating institutions in New York, Illinois, and California.
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