Trends in mortality in people with HIV from 1999 through 2020: a multicohort collaboration
In this study, the authors explored how mortality among people living with HIV has evolved over two decades, from 1999 through 2020. They analyzed data from 55’716 adult participants from two international cohort collaborations covering countries in Europe, Australia, and the United States. Mortality data was captured and classified by cause of death.
Among the 55’716 participants, 5’263 died. The analyses also showed that overall mortality declined during the first decade (1999–2010) before stabilizing from 2011 until 2020. AIDS mortality was most common during the earlier years, that is between 1999 and 2009. In contrast, non-AIDS–defining malignancies were more common in the later period, 2010–2020.
Looking at the causes of mortality more specifically, the authors observed that mortality due to AIDS, cardiovascular diseases, and liver diseases declined, while mortality due to non-AIDS–defining malignancies remained stable.
Furthermore, the immunologic & virologic status of participants improved significantly over the study period, which contributed to the decline in mortality rates. However, improved immunologic & virologic status and other mortality risk factors did not fully explain the reduction in all-cause or cause-specific mortality rates.
In summary, this study showed solid evidence that mortality among people living with HIV in Europe, Australia and USA declined between 1999 and 2009, and then stabilized between 2010 and 2020.