HIV and Substance Use

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Key Points

  • Substance use refers to the use of drugs and alcohol and includes the misuse of prescription drugs or over-the-counter medicines.
  • Substance use can lead to less safe behaviors (such as condomless sex or sharing needles) that increase the likelihood of getting HIV or passing it on to others.
  • Substance use can harm the health of a person with HIV by weakening the immune system, damaging the liver, disrupting an

HIV and Gay and Bisexual Men

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*NOTE: Males who do not identify as gay or bisexual but engage in male-to-male sexual contact are included in this group.]

HIV and Children

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Key Points

  • Perinatal transmission: HIV can pass from a mother with HIV to their child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding, called perinatal transmission of HIV. In the United States, this is the most common way children under 13 years of age get HIV.

HIV and Older People

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Key Points

  • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), of the nearly 1.1 million people living with diagnosed HIV in the United States and dependent areas in 2022, about 42% were aged 55 and older.
  • Many HIV risk factors are the same for people of any age, but older people are less likely to get tested for HIV.

Drug Resistance

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Key Points

  • HIV mutations sometimes develop while a person is taking HIV medicines, which may cause drug-resistant HIV that can be transmitted to other people.
  • Once drug resistance develops, HIV medicines that previously controlled a person’s HIV are no longer effective.

HIV Treatment Adherence

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Key Points

  • Treatment adherence includes starting HIV treatment, keeping all medical appointments, and taking HIV medicines exactly as prescribed.

What to Start: Choosing an HIV Treatment Regimen

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Key Points

  • People with HIV take a combination of HIV medicines to form a complete HIV treatment regimen).
  • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved more than 50 HIV medicines to treat HIV infection.
  • People with HIV should discuss HIV treatment options with their health care provider to suit their individual needs, including
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