Objective To understand the incidence of adverse health outcomes, such as hospitalization, falls, and emergency treatment, and related factors in elderly people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, in the past 12 months.

Methods From March to June 2024, elderly PLWHA were recruited through convenience sampling in the designated HIV/AIDS medical institutions in Wuxi for a retrospective study. The information about their social demographic information, incidence of adverse health outcomes, smoking and alcohol consumption status, chronic diseases history, HIV infection and treatment status, sleep quality, intrinsic capacity were collected. A logistic regression model was used for multivariate analysis.

Results A total of 830 elderly HIV/AIDS patients were enrolled, in whom 191 (23.01% ) had adverse health outcomes in the past 12 months. The incidence rate was 17.33% in the patients aged 50-59 years (65/375), 23.51% in the patients aged 60−69 years (71/302), and 35.95% in the patients aged ≥70 years (55/153). The incidence rates of hospitalization, falls, and emergency treatment were 16.39% (136 cases), 8.43% (70 cases), and 7.71% (64 cases), respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that age ≥70 years adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=2.02, 95%CI: 1.26−3.24, being unmarried/divorced/widowed (aOR=1.58, 95%CI: 1.09−2.29), non - solitary living arrangement (aOR=1.75, 95%CI: 1.14−2.68), suffering from chronic disease (1 disease: aOR=1.90, 95%CI: 1.26−2.84; 2 or more diseases: aOR=1.98, 95%CI: 1.17−3.36), average sleep quality (aOR=2.26, 95%CI: 1.22−4.20), and impaired intrinsic capacity (aOR=1.96, 95%CI: 1.36−2.84) were factors associated with adverse health outcomes in the elderly PLWHA.

Conclusion The incidence of adverse health outcomes in the elderly PLWHA increased with age, the associated factors included marital status, living pattern, chronic disease status, sleep quality, and intrinsic capacity. In the follow up management of elderly PLWHA, it is necessary to strengthen the monitoring and assessment of adverse health outcomes, and develop targeted intervention strategies to facilitate the healthy aging of this population.