HIV drugs can cause premature aging – study

Drugs commonly used to treat HIV infection can cause premature aging, a study suggests.

The research may explain why some people given the drugs show signs of frailty, heart disease and dementia at an early age.

Scientists have found evidence that the drugs, known as nucleoside analogue reverse-transcriptase inhibitors, inflict serious damage to cells over time.

NRTIs, which include the well-known drug AZT, were the first class of compounds developed to treat HIV.

In high-income parts of the world, such as Europe and North America, their use has diminished due to toxicity and side effects. But relatively cheap NRTIs are still an important lifeline for people infected with the Aids virus in low-income regions such as Africa.

The new study involved looking at muscle cells from HIV-infected adults, some of whom had previously been given NRTIs.

Scientists found that patients treated with the drugs even a decade ago had damaged mitochondria – vital “powerplants” within cells – that resembled those of a healthy-aged person.