HIV infection is associated with accelerated epigenetic ageing: A systematic review

We conducted a systematic review of studies comparing the intensity of epigenetic ageing in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and uninfected individuals. We included studies that quantitatively examined the intensity of age-related epigenetic changes in both groups.

We identified 25 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. The results of the vast majority (22 out of 25) of the studies included in the review indicate the presence of accelerated epigenetic ageing in people living with HIV compared to uninfected individuals. Most studies reported evidence of epigenetic age acceleration in people living with HIV, both among those not receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) and those who were on ART treatment. However, the studies included in the review were conducted mostly on relatively small groups and using different methods. While several studies have carefully addressed confounding variables, others did not report adjustments for factors such as BMI, diabetes, HBV and HCV co-infections, or lifestyle influences, which may be especially relevant for interpreting second-generation epigenetic clocks such as GrimAge and PhenoAge.

We believe that the results of our review indicate accelerated epigenetic ageing in people living with HIV compared to uninfected individuals. There is a need for further research, which will analyse material from different tissues and take into account a number of biomarkers and the mentioned confounding factors. Studies considering the impact of individual classes of antiretroviral drugs, the age of the patient at the time of HIV diagnosis, and the timeliness of diagnosis on epigenetic ageing are particularly needed.