HIV ‘an increasing problem among over-50s’

An increasingly large patient population are having to face up to the challenges of dealing with HIV in advanced age, according to an expert.

Genevieve Edwards, communications director at HIV and sexual health charity the Terrence Higgins Trust, has stated that the increasing number of over-50s affected by the disease is creating a healthcare issue which did not exist in the past.

She explained that whereas in the past HIV sufferers would not be expected to live into old age, people with the condition are now surviving for longer and are facing new difficulties, such as the fact they are affected by twice as many long-term health conditions.

“The fastest growing group of people with HIV in the UK is people over 50 and there are real issues around ageing and HIV,” said Ms Edwards.

This comes in response to recent figures from the Health Protection Agency showing that the rate of HIV infections diagnosed in the over-50s has more than doubled in the last seven years.

Ms Edwards added that healthcare services must therefore look to become more knowledgeable in this area, in order to avoid putting older HIV patients at a further disadvantage.