Ageing faster with AIDS in Africa

Abstract

As the AIDS epidemic matures, evidence is emerging that poorly managed HIV infection exacerbates ageing diseases, leading to increased morbidity and mortality, and that exacerbated chronic diseases should now be considered AIDS-related. 1 Justice AC Treated HIV infection is a chronic disease: the case against cause of death analyses. Int J Epidemiol. 2010; 39: 146-168 Crossref PubMed Scopus (14) Google Scholar Cohort evaluations indicate that non-AIDS cancers, pulmonary diseases, intracranial haemorrhage, osteoporosis, and age-related blindness, which might previously have been considered of low importance due to low prevalence, are becoming major causes of reduced quality of life and causes of death. 1 Justice AC Treated HIV infection is a chronic disease: the case against cause of death analyses. Int J Epidemiol. 2010; 39: 146-168 Crossref PubMed Scopus (14) Google Scholar Thanks to antiretroviral therapy, a person diagnosed HIV-positive and aged 20 years in the developed countries can expect to be alive well into their sixties, 2 Antiretroviral Therapy Cohort CollaborationLife expectancy of individuals on combination antiretroviral therapy in high-income countries: a collaborative analysis of 14 cohort studies. Lancet. 2008; 372: 293-299 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1318) Google Scholar and these settings are well equipped to deal with an ageing HIV-positive population with the availability of specialised care. The future of HIV/AIDS in Africa: a shared responsibilityOn Dec 1, 2010, people across the globe will observe World AIDS Day—a time of remembrance for those who have died and to celebrate progress in providing better access to treatment and care. But this is also a time to look to the future to ensure the sustainability of the programmes in place today. HIV/AIDS is a global epidemic, but it is most severe in sub-Saharan Africa, a region in desperate need of life-saving resources. As co-chairs of the recent report by the Institute of Medicine1 that assessed the future implications of HIV/AIDS in Africa, we believe that African nations—with the USA and other donor nations—must plan now for how to confront the burden of HIV/AIDS over the coming decades. Full-Text PDF Tracking a century of global expansion and evolution of HIV to drive understanding and to combat diseaseSince the isolation of HIV, multiple transmissions are thought to have occurred between man and other old-world primates. Assessment of samples from apes and human beings with African equatorial forest ancestry has traced the origin of HIV-1 to chimpanzees, and dated its most recent common ancestor to 1908. The evolution of HIV-1 has been rapid, which has resulted in a complex classification, worldwide spread, and intermixing of strains; at least 48 circulating recombinant forms are currently identified. Full-Text PDF