American Academy of Neurology

Stroke-Related Mortality in HIV: Racial and Gender Disparities Persist

Meghna Rao
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Publish Date
AAN 2025 San Diego
Credit: Getty Images
Using the CDC-WONDER database, researchers assessed trends in stroke-related mortality rates in HIV, stratified by race and gender.
Stroke-related mortality rates among Black patients with HIV declined until 2014, after which an increase in these rates was observed.

Although stroke-related mortality has decreased among patients with HIV in the United States during the last 2 decades, racial and gender disparities continue to exist, according to study results to be presented at the 2025 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) annual meeting, held from April 5 to 9, 2025, in San Diego, California.

Demographic factors, such as race and gender, are known to influence stroke-related mortality in HIV.

Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of Wide-Ranging On-Line Data (CDC-WONDER) database, researchers assessed trends in stroke-related mortality rates in HIV, stratified by race and gender.

Between 1999 and 2001, there was a significant decline in stroke-related mortality in HIV (annual percent change [APC], -21.57%; P <.05), with the decline being more gradual between 2001 and 2018 (APC, -1.16%; P <.05). However, there was a significant increase in mortality rates between 2018 and 2020 (APC, 22.32%; P <.05).

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While overall stroke-related mortality among individuals with HIV has decreased over the past two decades, significant racial and gender disparities persist. The mortality rates among African Americans with HIV [a]re alarmingly high.

Among Black patients, mortality rates continued to decline until 2014 (APC, -2.67%; P <.05) after which an increase in these rates was observed (APC, 3.88%; P <.05). However, among White patients, mortality rates were stable until 2018 (APC, -0.58%; P <.05), after which these rates increased between 2018 and 2020 (APC, 31.16%; P <.05).

Among patients of the male sex, decreases in mortality rates were observed from 1999 to 2001 (APC, -18.32%; P <.05), which continued to decrease until 2012 (APC, -2.56%; P <.05), with a small increase from 2012 to 2020 (APC, 4.39%; P <.05). Among patients of the female sex, there was an initial decline from 1999 to 2001 (APC, -16.57%; P <.05), following, there was a steady decline observed until 2018 (APC, -2.34%; P <.05).

“While overall stroke-related mortality among individuals with HIV has decreased over the past [2] decades, significant racial and gender disparities persist. The mortality rates among African Americans with HIV [a]re alarmingly high,” the researchers concluded.

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References:

Maaz H, Sohaib M, Munir A, Junaid M, Bagga A, Ahmed M. Disparities in stroke-related mortality among HIV patients based on race and gender in the United States from 1999 to 2020: analysis from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Wide-Ranging On-Line Data (CDC-WONDER). Abstract presented at: 2025 AAN Annual Meeting; April 5-9, 2025; San Diego, CA. Abstract P19.007.