HIV, AIDS, and Older Adults

From the National Institute on Aging

Grace was a happily married woman with a family and a career. After more than 20 years of marriage, her husband left her. After her divorce, she began dating George, a close family friend she had known for years. They became lovers. Because she was beyond childbearing years, she wasn't worried about getting pregnant and didn't think about using condoms. And because she had known George for years, it didn't occur to her to ask about his sexual history or if he had been tested for HIV.

At age 55 she had a routine medical checkup. Her blood tested positive for HIV. George had infected her. She will spend the rest of her life worrying that the virus would develop into life-threatening AIDS -- that any cough, sneeze, rash, or flu would, in fact, indicate AIDS and perhaps the beginning of the end of her life.

What Are HIV and AIDS?

HIV (short for human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that kills cells in your immune system, the system that fights diseases. Once your immune system is weakened to the point where you get certain types of life-threatening diseases, infections, and cancers, you have what is called AIDS (short for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). AIDS is the most advanced stage of HIV infection. If there's any chance that you might be infected with HIV, you should be tested, because now there are drugs you can take to help your body keep the HIV in check and fight off AIDS.

Many people do not have any symptoms when they are first infected with HIV. It can take as little as a few weeks for minor flu-like symptoms to show up or as long as 10 years or more for more serious symptoms. Symptoms can include headache, chronic cough, diarrhea, swollen glands, lack of energy, loss of appetite and weight loss, frequent fevers and sweats, frequent yeast infections, skin rashes, pelvic and abdominal cramps, sores on certain parts of your body, and short-term memory loss. People age 50 and older may not recognize HIV symptoms in themselves because they think what they are feeling and experiencing is part of normal aging.

How Do People Get HIV/AIDS?

ANYONE can get HIV and AIDS. Regardless of your age, and especially if you are 50 or older, you may be at risk for HIV if any of the following is true:

If you are sexually active and don't use a male latex condom. You can get HIV/AIDS from having sex with someone who is infected with the HIV virus. The virus passes from the infected person to another through the exchange of body fluids such as blood, semen, and vaginal fluid. HIV can get into your body during sex through any opening, such as a tear or cut in the lining of the vagina, vulva, penis, rectum, or mouth.

If you don't know your partner's sexual and drug history. Has your partner been tested for HIV/AIDS? Has he or she had a number of different sex partners? Does your partner inject drugs?

If you inject drugs and share needles or syringes with other people. Drug users are not the only people who might share needles. People with diabetes, for example, who inject insulin or draw blood to test glucose levels, might share needles. If you have shared needles for any reason or if you have had sex with someone who has, you should be tested for HIV/AIDS.

If you had a blood transfusion between 1978 and 1985, or a blood transfusion or operation in a developing country at any time.

If any one of the above is true, you should be tested for HIV/AIDS. Check your local phone directory for the number of a hospital or health center where you can get a list of test sites. In most states the tests can be confidential (you give your name) or anonymous (you don't give your name).

There are many myths about HIV/AIDS. The examples below are FACTS:

• You cannot get HIV through casual contact such as shaking hands or hugging a person with HIV/AIDS.

• You cannot get HIV from using a public telephone, drinking fountain, restroom, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, or hot tub.

• You cannot get HIV from sharing a drink or being coughed or sneezed on by a person with HIV/AIDS.

• You cannot get HIV from donating blood.

• You cannot get HIV from a mosquito bite.

Is HIV/AIDS Different in Older People?

The number of older people with HIV/AIDS is on the rise. About 10% of all people diagnosed with AIDS in the U.S. -- some 75,000 Americans - are age 50 and older. Because older people don't get tested for HIV/AIDS on a regular basis, there may be even more cases than we know. How has this happened?

Because older Americans know less about HIV/AIDS than younger age groups: how it is spread; the importance of using condoms and not sharing needles; the importance of getting tested; the importance of talking to their doctor.

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Because healthcare workers and educators have neglected the middle-age and older population in terms of HIV/AIDS education and prevention.

Because older people are less likely than younger people to talk about their sex lives or drug use with their doctors.

Because doctors don't tend to ask their older patients about sex or drug use. It is harder for doctors to recognize symptoms of HIV/AIDS in older people. Doctors need to talk to their patients about the specific behaviors that put them at risk for HIV/AIDS.

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Last updated 10/05