Frailty Transition Among Older Adults Living With HIV in Thailand: A 5‐Year Longitudinal Study

INTRODUCTION: Frailty is highly prevalent among older people with HIV (PWH), driven by multimorbidity and HIV-associated accelerated ageing. We investigated frailty transitions and associated factors over a 5-year follow-up period in an ageing cohort of PWH in Thailand. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study among PWH aged ≥50 years in Bangkok, Thailand, between May 2015 and June 2024. Frailty phenotypes were assessed at baseline and at 5 years of follow-up using the Fried frailty phenotype, including unintentional weight loss, low physical activity, exhaustion, weak grip strength and slow walking speed. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with frailty progression and reversibility over follow-up. RESULTS: (aOR 0.25, 95% CI: 0.10-0.62, p = 0.003) were associated with a lower likelihood of frailty reversal. CONCLUSIONS: and multimorbidity reduced the likelihood of frailty reversal. These findings highlight frailty as modifiable and support integrating routine frailty screening and geriatric-informed care into long-term HIV services. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT00411983.