Economic Impact of HIV in the Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Era - Reflections Looking Forward

The main data on HIV in high-income countries from the standpoint of health economics are updated and discussed. Specifically, issues surrounding the economic impact of HIV are addressed for health care and occupational perspectives. We review the main epidemiological data on the prevalence of disease and foreseeable changes in patterns within the coming years. Recent research on health care costs of HIV/AIDS and the occupational situation of HIV+ people are discussed. In high-income countries, there is an incipient change in trends that indicate that an increasing percentage of the intermediate-age HIV+ population will age prematurely, presenting more frequently comorbidities and becoming more exposed to frailty situations. Accordingly, health-care systems should have to plan their resources to accommodate new determinants of healthcare costs in the HIV+ population. On the occupational side, the decreased life expectancy of HIV+ persons, coupled with more severe health issues, on average may prompt early -retirement of this population from the labor market.