Sex-specific bone architectural deficits among older adults living with HIV: a cross-sectional study from Zimbabwe
Authors' conclusion
Older Zimbabwean PLWH have markedly lower trabecular vBMD compared to HIV-negative peers additional cortical compartment impairments were evident in women.
Study context
- Population
- Men and women ≥40 years, Harare, Zimbabwe; mean (SD) age 62.4 (14.1) years; People with HIV (PLWH) 20.3%, male 48.6%with peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) data
- Participants
- 1,101 men
- Exposure
- PLWH vs HIV-negative, sex-stratified
- Outcome
- pQCT bone outcomes: total, trabecular and cortical vBMD, CSA, BSIc, cortical thickness, proximal CSA, polar stress-strain index (pSSI)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Radial pQCT, fully adjusted (age, WI, height, weight)
Estimate (CI)
MLWHvs HIV-negative men
difference in radial total vBMD −7.1 %(−10.9 to −3.2)
WLWHvs HIV-negative women
difference in cortical vBMD −1.4 %(−2.3 to −0.6)
WLWHvs HIV-negative women
difference in cortical thickness −7.2 %(−11.1 to −3.3)
Estimate (CI)
MLWHvs HIV-negative men
difference in trabecular vBMD −11.3%(−16.9% to −5.6%)
MLWHvs HIV-negative men
difference in BSIc −12.0%(−18.7% to −5.4)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Years since HIV diagnosis and radius bone, WLWH
- Radius total vBMD, per year
- −1.9% per-year [−3.2%; −0.6%]
- Trabecular vBMD
- −4.2% [−6.5%; −2.0%]
- BSIc
- −3.9% [−6.2%; −1.6%]
- Cortical vBMD
- −0.3% [−0.6%; −0.1%]
- Cortical thickness
- −1.6% [−2.7%; −0.5%]
- Adjusted for age and wealth-index (WI)
HIV duration and TDF use, MLWH
- Years since HIV diagnosis: proximal tibia cross-sectional area (CSA)
- −1.0% [−1.9%; −0.2%]
- TDF use: tibia cortical vBMD
- −1.4% [−2.8%; −0.1%]
- Adjusted for age and WI
Original publication
Sex-specific bone architectural deficits among older adults living with HIV: a cross-sectional study from Zimbabwe. J Bone Miner Res. Published 12 May 2026. doi:10.
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