Infection with HIV in the elderly population

Infection with HIV among older adults in the United States needs to be investigated in greater detail because little substantive knowledge currently is available about HIV/AIDS in the elderly population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 10% of all cases of diagnosed HIV/AIDS are in people age 50 and older. The problem is that very little is known about the effects of HIV/AIDS in this population. The majority of the literature is based on limited case reports, and very little empirical research is available. This lack of knowledge limits health care professionals' ability to properly diagnose and adequately treat individuals who may be infected. This article considers various sources of infection, potential risk factors, the difficulty of diagnosis, and the rapid progression of the disease process in older adults. Signs and symptoms of common opportunistic infections are explored. Treatment challenges, nursing care of older adults infected with HIV, and psychosocial aspects of the disease are discussed.