Work

Opposite effects of chronic HIV infection and antiretroviral medication on organismal and organ-specific biological aging

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: People with HIV (PWH) on combination antiretroviral therapy have an elevated risk for aging-related non-AIDS comorbidities. We assessed whether HIV infection accelerates biological aging in two independent cohorts of PWH using six organ-specific and three organism-wide aging clocks derived from plasma proteomics of healthy individuals. Proteomic age acceleration significantly correlated with DNA methylation age and was linked to comorbidities and mortality. HIV infection accelerated systemic biological aging, with Mendelian randomization demonstrating causality between organ aging and inflammatory or metabolic complications. Accelerated aging in PWH was further related to the total HIV reservoir, and specific antiretroviral drugs decreased age acceleration. These data reveal important causal effects between chronic HIV infection, antiretroviral medication, biological aging and age-associated diseases, highlighting targets for improving health span in PWH.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-69412-1