Causes of Death Changing in HIV

Although AIDS remains the leading cause of death in HIV-infected individuals in developed countries, deaths from non–AIDS-defining malignancies are creeping upward, according to a study presented at AIDS 2012.

Previous studies have indicated that the causes of death among HIV-infected individuals with access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) are shifting, with a greater emphasis on non–AIDS-defining events. Now, data from the D:A:D study, presented by Colette Smith at AIDS 2012, confirm and extend these findings [Abstract THAB0304]. The analysis focused on trends in all-cause and cause-specific mortality from 1999 through 2011.

Approximately 3800 deaths occurred among 50,000 individuals who had access to care and were followed for 305,000 person-years. The all-cause mortality rate decreased significantly over the study period — from 17.4 per 1000 person-years in 1999–2000 to 8.3 per 1000 person-years in 2009–2011. AIDS-related events were the most c…

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Carlos del Rio, MD

Causes of Death Changing in HIV

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