Older adults at high risk of HIV infection in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

There is an increasing prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in older adults in China, but the findings across prevalence studies have been mixed. This is the first meta-analysis of the prevalence of HIV infection and its moderating factors in older adults in China. Two investigators systematically and independently earchedbothinternational(PubMed,PsycINFO,WebofSciencesandEMBASE)and Chinese (WanFang, CNKI, and CQVIP) databases. HIV infection rates in older adults wereanalyzedusingtherandom-effectsmodel.Altogether46studieswereincludedin the analysis. The pooled prevalence of HIV infection in older adults was 2.1% (95% CI[1.9%–.3%],I2=99.4%).Subgroupanalysesrevealedthatmenwhohavesexwith men(MSM),hospitalpopulationsamples,publicationsafter2014,studiesconductedin thewesternregionofChina,andhigherstudyqualityweresignificantlyassociatedwith higherHIVinfectionrate.Thismeta-analysisfoundthattheHIVinfectionprevalence in older adults is significantly higher than the general population in China. Attention should be given to this urgent public health issue, and effective HIV/AIDS preventive, screening and treatment measures are warranted in this population