Results from an international cohort study published in Annals of Neurology suggest that people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and those receiving treatment for HIV with antiretroviral therapy (ART) show a decreased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS).

The study analysis included health data from 2 cohorts of HIV-positive individuals in Sweden and British Columbia, Canada along with incident MS case data obtained from MS registries and administrative records. Researchers compared MS incidence rates in the HIV-positive cohort to the expected rates in a randomly selected sample of the general population.

  • The HIV-positive cohort demonstrated fewer incident MS cases compared with those expected in the general population (14 vs 26.19).
  • The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) for MS in the HIV-positive cohort was 0.53 (95% CI, 0.32 to 0.90).
  • The SIR for MS following initial ART exposure was 0.55 (95% CI, 0.31 to 0.96).

These findings demonstrate a negative association between HIV and MS. The study authors noted that continued research on the interactions between HIV, ART, and MS is necessary to determine whether ART offers therapeutic benefits for slowing MS progression.

Source: McKay KA, Wijnands JMA, Manouchehrinia A, et al. Risk of Multiple Sclerosis in People Living with HIV: An International Cohort Study. Ann Neurol. 2024;95:487-494. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.26840