A cross-sectional analysis of 180 Romanian PLWH on stable antiretroviral therapy found a high prevalence of reduced skeletal mass (58.3%) and a phenotype of premature skeletal aging driven by an interplay of immunological history, metabolic disturbances, and lifestyle factors.
A high prevalence of reduced skeletal mass was observed in the Romanian PLWH cohort.
Osteoporosis was significantly associated with a history of AIDS, active smoking, and hypertriglyceridemia.
Women with osteoporosis exhibited significantly lower current CD4+ T-cell counts compared to women with normal bone mineral density.
Body mass index was an inconsistent predictor of bone health in this PLWH cohort.
The study characterized a phenotype of premature skeletal aging in PLWH driven by multiple interacting risk factors.
This research examined bone health in 180 people living with HIV (PLWH) in Romania who were on stable HIV treatment, with an average age of about 42 years. Using bone density scans (DXA) and body composition measurements, the researchers found that more than half of participants (58.3%) had lower-than-normal bone density, and 10% already had osteoporosis — a serious bone-weakening condition — at an average age of just 45.7 years. This is notably younger than osteoporosis typically appears in the general population, suggesting that HIV and its treatment accelerate bone aging. The study found that several factors were linked to worse bone health: having a history of AIDS (indicating past severe immune system damage), being an active smoker, and having high triglyceride (blood fat) levels. Importantly, among women specifically, those with osteoporosis had significantly lower current CD4+ T-cell counts — a key measure of immune system health — compared to women with healthy bones. This suggests that ongoing immune system weakness, not just past illness, may continue to harm bone density in women with HIV. Standard body weight measurements (BMI) were not a reliable indicator of bone problems, but a different body composition test (BIA) was able to detect early bone loss. This research suggests that people living with HIV face an accelerated risk of bone disease at relatively young ages, and that routine bone density screening combined with attention to immune health, metabolic factors like blood fats, and lifestyle habits such as smoking could be important for preventing serious fractures in this population as they age.
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Upload Your LabsLuput-Andrica I, Marinescu A, Cut T, Herlo A, Laza R, Saizu A, et al.. (2026). Premature Skeletal Aging and Immunological Recovery in Romanian PLWH: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Gender-Specific and Metabolic Risk Factors.. International journal of molecular sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27094079