Guides › Introduction to combination therapy

Is age an important factor in adults?

As you get older, HIV treatment becomes more important.

The UK treatment guidelines (www.bhiva.org) include a useful table on the risk of AIDS illnesses at different CD4 and viral load levels.

Importantly, this includes separate tables for ages 25, 35, 45 and 55. All risks increase with age.

Many researchers are looking at HIV and ageing. This is becoming a specialised subject and HIV services are changing to reflect this. New services are being developed for older patients.

Ageing is linked to many health problems, which is why lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, smoking etc) are just as important if you are HIV positive.

The US guidelines (March 2012) include a new section on HIV and ageing that includes being older than 50 years as a factor for starting treatment.

April 2012

Decisions relating to your treatment should always be taken in consultation with your doctor. Information in this guide is intended to support those discussions.

Authors and references • Translations • About our guides • Guides index

This guide's available in UK clinics (can't find it?)

We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here