Pain Is Associated With Depressive Symptoms, Inflammation, and Poorer Physical Function in Older Adults With HIV.

Objective: People living with HIV (PLWH) frequently experience pain, which often co-occurs with psychological symptoms and may impact functional outcomes. We investigated cross-sectional associations between pain, depressive symptoms, and inflammation, and then explored whether pain was related to poorer physical function among older PLWH.

Methods: We examined data from PLWH aged 54 to 78 years ( n = 162) recruited from a single outpatient program for a larger study on HIV and aging.

Childhood sexual abuse history amplifies the link between disease burden and inflammation among older adults with HIV.

As they age, people living with HIV (PLWH) experience greater rates of inflammation-related health conditions compared to their HIV-negative peers. Because early life adversity can exaggerate proinflammatory effects of later physiological challenges, inflammation may be higher among PLWH with these combined risks, which could inform intervention approaches to mitigate multimorbidity. In this cross-sectional analysis, we investigated individual and combined effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) history and physiological burden (Veterans Aging Cohort Study Index scores) on serum cytokine and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels among PLWH.

Urine Cell-Free Mitochondrial DNA as a Marker of Weight Loss and Body Composition in Older Adults With HIV.

Background: Older adults with HIV (OAH) experience more comorbidities and geriatric syndromes than their HIV-negative peers, perhaps because of chronic inflammation. Cell-free mitochondrial DNA (cfmtDNA) released from cells undergoing necrosis-mediated cell death potentially acts as both a mediator and marker of inflammatory dysregulation. We hypothesized that urinary cfmtDNA would be associated with frailty, body composition, and fall history in OAH.

Links Between Inflammation, Mood, and Physical Function Among Older Adults With HIV.

Objectives: People living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) treated with antiretrovirals have life spans similar to their HIV-negative peers. Yet, they experience elevated inflammation-related multimorbidity. Drawing on biopsychosocial determinants of health may inform interventions, but these links are understudied in older PLWH.

Special Topics in the Care of Older People with HIV.

Purpose Of Review: Antiretroviral therapy has enabled many people with HIV to live long lives with their infection, but the literature suggests that long term survivors are developing comorbidities and aging-related syndromes at earlier ages than their non-infected counterparts. In addition, there is evidence or sex-based differences in comorbidity risk.

Recent Findings: How to best care for people aging with HIV is not known, but the tools of comprehensive geriatric assessment can identify people at risk for decline.

Gait Speed Is Associated with Cognitive Function among Older Adults with HIV.

To determine links between objectively and subjectively measured physical function and cognitive function among HIV-positive older adults, a growing yet understudied group with elevated risk for multimorbidity. At a biomedical research visit, 162 participants completed objective tests of gait speed (4-m walk), grip strength (dynamometer), and cognitive function (Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA) and reported their well-being (Medical Outcomes Study-HIV survey). Those with faster gait speed had better overall cognitive function than those with slower gait speed ( = 3.

Using Focus Group Feedback to Identify Patient-Centered Initiatives for Older Persons with HIV.

: This study assessed how few community-based programs target older people living with HIV.: We conducted four focus groups comprised of people 50 and older with HIV (N = 32; gay/bisexual men, heterosexual men, women, and Spanish-speakers) to inform HIV program development by exploring the services in which participants were actively involved, along with the services they wanted to receive.: Using inductive thematic qualitative analysis, four themes were identified pertaining to program development: (a) types of currently utilized HIV service organizations; (b) dissatisfaction with HIV programming and services; (c) participants' preferred programming, courses, groups, or activities; and (d) desire to serve as peer mentors.

Perceptions of a Home Hospice Crisis: An Exploratory Study of Family Caregivers.

Crises that occur in home hospice care affect family caregivers' satisfaction with care and increase risk of disenrollment. Because hospice care focuses on achieving a peaceful death, understanding the prevalence and nature of crises that occur in this setting could help to improve end-of-life outcomes. To ascertain the prevalence and nature of, as well as factors associated with crises in the home hospice setting as reported by family caregivers.