Effects of HIV infection on age and cause of death for persons with hemophilia A in the United States

Because of changes in factor replacement therapy and in treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, we examined death record data for persons with hemophilia A in the United States to evaluate effects of HIV infection on age and causes of death. Multiple cause-of-death data from 1968 through 1998 were examined to assess death rates for persons with hemophilia A. ICD-9 coded causes of death from 1979 through 1998 were examined to assess long-term trends. From 1979 through 1998, 4,781 deaths among persons with hemophilia A were reported, of which 2,254 (47%) had HIV-related disease listed as a cause of death. In the late 1980s, mortality among persons with hemophilia A increased markedly, and the age-adjusted death rate peaked at 1.5 per 1,000,000 population in 1992. Median age at death decreased from 55 years in 1979-1982 to 40.5 years in 19871990, and increased to 46 years in 1995-1998. In the period 1995-1998, the median age of hemophilia A decedents with HIV-related disease was 33 years, compared to 72 years for those without HIV-related disease; the most frequently listed causes of death for those without HIV-related disease were hemorrhagic and circulatory phenomena; the most frequently listed for those with HIV-related disease were diseases of liver and the respiratory system. From 1995 to 1998, hemophilia A-associated deaths decreased by 41%, with a 78% decrease among those who had HIV-related disease. Although HIV infection has adversely effected mortality for persons with hemophilia A, the marked recent decrease in the death rate among persons with hemophilia A appears to reflect advances in care for those with HIVrelated disease and is consistent with a decline in HIV mortality observed in the general population.