The Looming Surge in Costs of HIV Care for Older Patients

Costs were 23% higher for patients aged >50 than for those who were younger, mainly due to more-complex ART regimens and more comorbidities.

The use of potent combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) has resulted in improved long-term survival of people with HIV infection and an ongoing increase in the age of this group. But how does such an increase affect healthcare costs?

To answer this question, researchers examined the cost of HIV-associated care in a cohort of HIV-infected adults in Alberta, Canada, between 1999 and 2011. During this 12-year period, the cohort increased from 708 to 1454 patients, and the proportion of individuals aged >50 rose from 9.6% to 25.4%.

Older patients were more likely than younger ones to be on ART and to have AIDS, but mean CD4 counts were similar between groups (404 and 396 cells/mm³, respectively). HIV-related healthcare costs were higher for ol…

Reviewing Author

Keith Henry, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardViiV Advisory Board

Editorial BoardsJAIDS: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes

Keith Henry, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardViiV Advisory Board

Editorial BoardsJAIDS: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes

The Looming Surge in Costs of HIV Care for Older Patients

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Reviewing Author