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Updated: Mar 15, 2026
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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Epigenetic age acceleration and mortality among persons with poorly controlled HIV
David W Sosnowski1, Chang Shu2, Hsing-Yu Hsu3
1Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States.
Summary
HIV infection accelerates biological aging, increasing mortality risk in people who inject drugs. Addressing molecular aging is crucial for reducing deaths in this vulnerable population.
Area of Science:
- Epigenetics
- Molecular Biology
- Public Health
Background:
- HIV infection is linked to accelerated aging and increased mortality.
- Epigenetic age, a measure of biological age, may reflect aging processes.
- Persons who inject drugs (PWID) are a vulnerable population with high HIV prevalence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the relationship between HIV infection, disease severity, and epigenetic age.
- To examine the combined association of epigenetic age acceleration and HIV infection with mortality.
Main Methods:
- Epigenetic age was assessed using multiple clocks (PhenoAge, Horvath, Hannum, GrimAge, DunedinPACE).
- Linear mixed-effects regressions and Cox models were used to analyze epigenetic age acceleration and mortality.
- Data were analyzed from the ALIVE study cohort of PWID in Baltimore.
Main Results:
- People with HIV (PWH) showed greater epigenetic age acceleration than people without HIV (PWoH).
- HIV infection and epigenetic age acceleration were independently associated with increased all-cause mortality.
- PhenoAge acceleration was associated with significantly higher mortality hazard, with or without HIV.
Conclusions:
- HIV infection, uncontrolled viremia, and poor immune recovery are linked to epigenetic age acceleration.
- Epigenetic age acceleration contributes to mortality risk among PWID.
- Targeting molecular aging processes may mitigate mortality in PWH and PWID.
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