Older Adults with HIV Face Elevated Risks in the Opioid Crisis
Research shows that older adults living with HIV face higher prescription rates and greater risks of opioid use disorder amid the opioid crisis, highlighting urgent health disparities and the need for tailored interventions.
Recent research highlights that older adults living with HIV are disproportionately impacted by the ongoing opioid epidemic. According to a study conducted by Rutgers University, seniors with HIV are prescribed opioids at higher rates than their peers without HIV and are more prone to indicators of opioid use disorder (OUD). The study analyzed prescription and medical record data from over 650,000 Medicare beneficiaries between 2008 and 2021, revealing that more than one-third of older adults with HIV received at least one opioid prescription. This is significantly higher compared to individuals without HIV.
The findings further underscore concerning prescribing patterns. Older adults with HIV are more likely to receive high-dose opioids, overlapping prescriptions, and longer durations of use—all factors associated with increased risk of adverse outcomes, including overdose.
Additionally, between 2008 and 2016, this population was more than twice as likely to exhibit signs of opioid use disorder—such as formal diagnoses, treatment episodes, or opioid-related hospital visits. These data suggest that managing chronic conditions alongside the risks of opioid misuse presents a unique challenge in this aging demographic.
As antiretroviral therapies enable people with HIV to live longer, the intersection of aging, HIV, and opioid use becomes a critical public health issue. Researchers emphasize the importance of developing tailored strategies for safe prescribing and expanding access to effective treatment for opioid use disorder to improve health outcomes.
Further investigations are needed to understand the factors driving opioid prescription patterns in older adults with HIV, how these medications interact with antiretroviral therapies, and the long-term effects, including mortality and overdose risk.
This study sheds light on a pressing health disparity and calls for targeted interventions to address the complex needs of this vulnerable population.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-older-adults-hiv-unequal-burden.html
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