QHealth: Aging with HIV
Aging with HIV? Is it the new normal?
Today, living out a full, long life with HIV is not only common; it’s expected, provided you’re able to access modern HIV treatment and quality health care. In a recent study of people receiving Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) care from Kaiser Permanente health system in California found that from 1996-2011 there was a 178% increase in life expectancy after age 20 (Journal of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, 2016).
Normal though it may be, doctors are still figuring out exactly how to prevent or combat the harmful ways in which aging and HIV intersects – not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Scientists have come to learn that the natural effects of aging appear to conspire with the long-term effects of HIV, as well as the medications taken to treat it, to slowly chip away at our strength, our wellness, our mobility and our independence.
HIV is often not the only health problem we have to deal with as we get older. Diabetes, cancer, heart disease, bone problems – all of these issues become more common as we age, regardless of HIV diagnosis. Managing your health becomes more challenging and takes up more of your time. Just 15 years ago in the U.S.A., the idea of seeing age 50 was a distant dream for many people with HIV, which is now the norm. Many primary care physicians (PCP) are having to help patients navigate the world of geriatrics while being HIV positive; something many of them weren’t taught about while in training. Having a positive HIV diagnosis usually meant you should start getting your affairs in order.
Although many of the health issues associated with aging don’t have anything to do with HIV, dealing with HIV and its treatment can still complicate these problems. There’s still a tremendous amount we simply don’t know about how HIV and HIV meds affect people as they get older, or how they interact with other conditions or diseases we may develop. After all is said and done concerning the physical effects of HIV comes the emotional toll that comes with aging. We must face stigma throughout our lives and just because we age doesn’t make us immune to the fact that there are still so much ignorance surrounding HIV/AIDS.
Aging with HIV definitely is the new normal. Just because it’s easier to manage the disease doesn’t mean all caution should go out the window. This is still a terminal disease that destroys ones immune system. We need our immune system in order to stay healthy from all the germs we come in contact with each day. Despite all the advances in medical technology there is still a portion of responsibility placed on each and every one of us. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
If you have questions regarding aging and HIV or aging in the LGBTQ+ community contact SAGE Utah by visiting their Facebook page or by e-mailing sageutah@utahpridecenter.org
Information in this article was gathered from multiple sources and is a reflection of the author’s opinion only.