To mark International Women’s Day on 8 March, the Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS) released a new viewpoint, “Navigating the Data Gaps of Ageing Among Women Living With HIV”. It is authored by Caroline A Sabin, Nomathemba Chandiwana, Anchalee Avihingsanon and Nicoletta Policek.
As access to antiretroviral therapy has expanded, people with HIV are living longer. However, as women age with HIV, they face a unique set of age-related non-communicable conditions shaped by intersecting biological, social and structural factors. Although women account for more than half of the global population living with HIV, older women remain significantly under-represented in research. As a result, major evidence gaps persist in understanding the combined effects of ageing, menopause and long-term HIV care in women.
In this viewpoint, the authors outline key sex differences in comorbidities associated with ageing with HIV and underscore the need for more focused research to understand the driving factors and improve tailored care. They highlight how evidence gaps can leave health systems ill-equipped to deliver high-quality, responsive care for women ageing with HIV.
To address these inequities, they outline key priorities, which include engaging women living with HIV as equal research partners, designing studies that assess sex-specific pathways to comorbidity, and ensuring adequate representation of women in study cohorts. The authors further call for addressing evidence gaps around the impacts of stigma, mental health, gender-based violence and caregiving burden on the health outcomes of women living with HIV.
Access the viewpoint, “Navigating the Data Gaps of Ageing Among Women Living With HIV”, here.