Autopsy-based study finds individuals with HIV are living longer

A new study based on autopsy reports of individuals with HIV finds that people have been living longer, and that they die of other complications from having the infection. Looking at data from more than 250 autopsies in New York City between 1984 and 2016, scientists found that the mean age of death was 35 in 1984, and it rose to 54 by 2010. The proportion of people with common infections tied to HIV, including hepatitis C, decreased from 80% in the ’80s to less than 30% by 2016. However, rates of other conditions not usually associated with HIV, such as atherosclerosis, increased. The study also found that the most number of autopsies were from 1993, after which there was a steady decline — a trend that aligns with around when more HIV medications became available