The introduction of novel drugs in the mid to late 1990s for treating HIV, known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), revolutionised the management of HIV, and the years since have seen a drastic extension of the life expectancy of those diagnosed with HIV to match, if not soon surpass, that of the general population. (1) A change in the epidemiology of the disease has ensued, and the Centers for Disease Control in the United States reports that 1 in 4 people now living with HIV in the States is over the age of 55. (2) With ageing come multiple co-morbidities infrequently seen in the pre-HAART era.
Patients with HIV are at increased risk of low bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoporosis, which makes them more prone to fragility, or low impact, fractures. The gold standard for diagnosis of osteoporosis is done using a bone density scan of the hip and spine, known as a Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) scan. This study aims to ensure that the cohort of patients with HIV attending the Department of Genito-Urinary Medicine and Infectious Diseases, St James’ Hospital, are undergoing appropriate bone health and frailty evaluation as per international guidelines. (3)
