Epigenetic Age Acceleration and Frailty Among People with HIV.

Krisann K Oursler, Yan V Sun, Alicia J Lozano, Ke Xu, Kaku A So-Armah, Monty Montano, Amy C Justice, Vincent C Marconi

Department of Medicine, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, Virginia, USA.Department of Medicine, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, Virginia, USA. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

DNA methylation is a hallmark of aging; yet, our understanding of epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) in relationship to frailty in people with HIV (PWH) is poor. We conducted an observational study among PWH from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) to test the hypothesis that EAA markers were associated with frailty. Epigenome-wide DNA methylation data from blood samples were used to derive EAA markers based on four established epigenetic clocks: Horvath, Hannum, PhenoAge, and GrimAge. Frailty was defined using a previously studied VACS frailty-related phenotype based on ≥1 survey item characterizing frailty factors: exhaustion, slowness, low physical activity, or weight loss. Logistic regression tested the association of participant characteristics and EAA markers with frailty. Adjusted models included each EAA marker as the independent variable, with significant participant characteristics as covariates. Among 1,076 PWH, frailty was evident in 397 (36.9%) individuals. The characteristics associated with frailty included chronological age, CD4

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Research summary

The paper claims that epigenetic age acceleration markers are associated with frailty in people with HIV. This research is relevant as it explores the relationship between epigenetic changes and frailty, contributing to the understanding of aging mechanisms in a specific population, which could have implications for longevity research.

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