BACKGROUND: People with HIV (PWH) face accelerated aging and increased health risks, with DNA methylation age (DNAmAge) as a critical senescence biomarker. Particulate matter (PM) is linked to DNAmAge acceleration (AA) in general population, but its impact in PWH remains unstudied. METHODS: Thirty-two PWH from Wuhan, China, were enrolled in a prospective panel study with follow-up, and each participant underwent at least two repeated measurements during the study period. Portable air quality monitor measured PM 1, PM 2. 5, and PM 10 exposures 72 h preblood sampling. We analyzed genome-wide DNA methylation in peripheral blood and calculated six AA metrics. Linear mixed-effects and weighted quantile sum regression models evaluated associations between PM exposure and AA. RESULTS: Significant associations between PM exposure and AA were observed at various lag windows. For every 10 μg/m 3 increase in 24-h average PM 2. 5, HannumAA, PhenoAA, GrimAA, SkinBloodAA, and ENAA increased by 0. 266 years 95% confidence interval (CI): 0. 035-0. 480, 0. 421 years (95% CI: 0. 032-0. 701), 0. 336 years (95% CI: 0. 073-0. 546), 0. 295 years (95% CI: 0. 021-0. 495), and 0. 254 years (95% CI: 0. 034-0. 445), respectively. PM 10 contributed most substantially to the cumulative PM effect on epigenetic AA in the lag0-24 h window. CONCLUSION: Short-term PM exposure, particularly PM 10, significantly accelerates epigenetic aging in PWH, highlighting the need to integrate air quality management into healthy aging strategies for this vulnerable population.
Liang et al. (2026) studied this question.