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Updated: Nov 9, 2025
05:53
Measuring Frailty in HIV-infected Individuals. Identification of Frail Patients is the First Step to Amelioration and Reversal of Frailty
Published on: July 24, 2013
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Frailty: the current challenge for aging people with HIV
Julian Falutz1, Fátima Brañas2, Kristine M Erlandson3
1Division of Geriatric Medicine, Comprehensive HIV Aging Initiative, Combined Viral Illness Service, Division of Infectious Diseases, McGill University Health Center, Quebec, Canada.
Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS
|April 9, 2021
Summary
Frailty negatively impacts the healthspan of people with HIV (PWH) due to chronic inflammation. Understanding mechanisms and adapting geriatric care can improve healthy aging for PWH.
Area of Science:
- Geriatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Immunology
Background:
- Older adults represent the majority of people with HIV (PWH) in high-income nations.
- PWH exhibit complex clinical profiles associated with premature aging.
- Frailty, a geriatric syndrome, affects a subset of PWH, diminishing their quality of life and clinical status.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an updated review for healthcare providers on the current understanding of frailty in PWH.
- To discuss how frailty impacts the healthspan of PWH.
- To highlight the need for specialized care strategies for aging PWH.
Main Methods:
- This review synthesizes current research on frailty in PWH.
- It examines the biological mechanisms underlying frailty in the context of HIV.
- It explores the adaptation of geriatric assessment and treatment strategies for PWH.
Main Results:
- Ongoing low-level HIV replication contributes to immune activation and chronic inflammation.
- This inflammation destabilizes physiological systems, characteristic of frailty.
- Potentially reversible risk factors for frailty are under investigation.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the biological mechanisms of frailty is crucial for developing interventions.
- Adapting established geriatric principles and interdisciplinary care models is essential.
- These approaches will support the healthy aging of PWH.
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