Bone health and HIV disease

February 2008     View PDF     En español

The bottom line

• Everyone is at risk for bone loss, though some more than others. A complete list is found in Who is at risk for bone loss?
• Detecting possible bone problems early can create better outcomes.
• Bone tissue constantly changes during a person’s life, and naturally declines after age 30.
• Three out of four people with osteoporosis are women.
• Despite the fact that some risk factors are beyond a person’s control, like age and sex, there are many things you can do to improve your bone health.
• People living with HIV have a higher rate of both osteopenia and osteoporosis.
• There are no standards of care for testing and treating bone loss in people with HIV.
• Though HIV appears to contribute to some bone loss in people with HIV, we do not know for sure. We also don’t know if HIV drugs affect bone loss.
• Painless and fairly quick tests that detect bone density can give accurate results on bone loss.
• The best way to prevent bone loss is by staying active and getting enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet or through supplements. Other lifestyle changes include stopping smoking, drinking less alcohol and caffeine, and talking to your doctor about any other medicines you take that affect bone loss.