Short assessment for people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) aged 50 years or older: essential tests from comprehensive geriatric assessment

Puig, Jordi; Satorra, Pau; Martínez, Ana; Gonzalez, Sandra; Güerri Fernández, Roberto; Arrieta Aldea, Itziar; Arnau-Barrés, Isabel; Prats, Anna; Buhiichyk, Vira; Tebé, Cristian; Negredo, Eugenia

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v17070887

Short assessment for people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) aged 50 years or older: essential tests from comprehensive geriatric assessment

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Puig J, Satorra P, Martínez A, González S, Güerri-Fernández R, Arrieta-Aldea I, et al. Short assessment for people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) aged 50 years or older: essential tests from comprehensive geriatric assessment. Viruses. 2025 Jul;17(7):887. DOI: 10.3390/v17070887

Abstract

Background: Comprehensive geriatric assessments (CGAs) are necessary to address the needs of people with human immunodeficiency virus infection (PWH) aged ≥ 50 years and ensure that they receive high-quality care. We aimed to identify the most effective tests from an extensive CGA to develop a short CGA. Methods: This observational, cross-sectional, and analytical study was conducted in three phases: (1) describing PWH aged ≥ 50 and matched controls; (2) jointly analyzing data to identify the most effective tests from the original CGA and develop a short version; and (3) applying the short CGA separately to both groups. Results: The most effective tests—the Lawton scale, SPPB, Barber questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Cognitive Complaints questionnaire—were used to create a short CGA. It identified abnormalities in 77% of PWH flagged by the full CGA, though 65% with the normal short CGA results had at least one abnormal result in the full version. Most false negatives were due to the excluded Hearing-Dependent Activities scale. Conclusions: These findings represent an initial step toward developing a short CGA for an easy and rapid identification of PWH aged ≥ 50, beyond a frailty assessment, who may benefit from early clinical management.