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The US Government estimates that more than 50% of HIV-infected Americans will be above the age of 50 within the next six years. The good news is that many Americans who are HIV-positive are expected to live well into their senior years,. The bad news is that as HIV patients get older, they may suffer significant impairment of their driving abilities, boosting their accident risks.
A recent study specifically analyzed the driving skills of HIV patients above the age of 40. The driving skills of 26 persons with HIV were evaluated based on mental performance tests and tests on a driving simulator. The researchers found that older and senior patients who were HIV positive seemed to have impaired driving skills, specifically reflected in delayed visual processing speeds.
Interestingly enough, high virus levels do not necessarily indicate higher impairment of abilities. However, older persons seemed to suffer from effects that could contribute to a lower driving ability. The researchers found that that impairment was linked to a decreased ability to measure speed, and processing abilities. Both of these are tasks that are very essential to driving.
A total of 26 adults were analyzed in the study, and no doubt, this is a small representative sample. However, considering the aging population of HIV-positive adults in this country, it is important to continue research in this area to determine the kind of accommodations that can be made to help these persons continue to drive safely.
Currently, more than one-third of the approximately 1.2 million HIV positive people in the United States are believed to be above the age of 50. The number of seniors infected with HIV include not only those who were infected in their youth, but also those who contracted the infection in their 50s.
