Ladies with HIV expertise accelerated DNA growing old, examine exhibits

Ladies with HIV expertise accelerated DNA growing old, a phenomenon that may result in poor bodily perform, based on a examine led by Stephanie Shiau, an assistant professor within the Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology on the Rutgers College of Public Well being.

Revealed in The Journal of Infectious Ailments, the examine sheds gentle on the distinctive challenges confronted by girls with HIV as they age and opens avenues for tailor-made interventions to reinforce well being outcomes. Globally, over 50 p.c of people residing with HIV are girls, and girls accounted for an estimated 46 p.c of all new infections in 2022.

Ladies with HIV expertise increased charges of bone loss in comparison with girls with out the virus, which may place them at elevated threat of fracture as they age, based on outcomes from the Ladies’s Interagency HIV Examine.

Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind accelerated growing old in folks with HIV is essential for growing focused interventions and bettering the standard of life for these residing with the virus.”

Stephanie Shiau, Assistant Professor, Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers College of Public Well being

Shiau stated whereas accelerated growing old has been reported in folks with HIV, these research have been primarily carried out amongst males and never girls.

The examine targeted on a pattern of 195 girls with HIV ages 40 to 60, evaluating them to a cohort of girls with out the virus, and carried out numerous analyses to discover how markers of growing old measured in blood had been associated to bone mineral density and measurements of bodily perform, corresponding to muscle energy, strolling velocity, steadiness and endurance.

Ladies with HIV had been growing old sooner than their chronological age, based on the examine findings.

In each teams, girls who could not maintain a single leg stand for 30 seconds displayed elevated growing old, suggesting potential hyperlinks between accelerated growing old and sure facets of bodily perform and emphasizing the necessity for additional analysis to verify and comprehend these associations over time.

“The work demonstrates that girls residing with HIV expertise an accelerated growing old course of on the DNA stage, and that this growing old course of could also be linked to practical outcomes,” stated Shiau. “Future research might want to see whether or not these findings are noticed longitudinally.”

The analysis not solely contributes insights into the challenges confronted by girls with HIV however gives a foundation for additional examination of long-term outcomes for these residing with the virus.

Co-authors of the examine embrace researchers from collaborating establishments in New York, Illinois and California.