Non–AIDS-Related Illness and the Role of Inflammation

We've known for some time that “ordinary” disease has a substantial effect on morbidity and mortality in HIV-infected patients, and this year's research supports and extends that observation. Data from a variety of studies confirmed that uncontrolled HIV infection is a substantial risk factor for non–AIDS-related health problems and also suggested that HIV-related inflammation, independent of CD4-cell levels and even viral load, may be a key to explaining this association.

A European analysis of 12,844 HIV-infected patients, more than 80% of whom were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), showed that the overall incidence of non-AIDS events was similar to that of AIDS events; non-AIDS events were prominent in all CD4-cell–count strata, but…