People age 65 and older have a higher risk of numerous chronic conditions if they are living with HIV. Researchers analyzed data on 29 million people on Medicare from 2006 to 2009, of whom about 25,000, or 0.09 percent, were HIV positive. The people with HIV were more likely to be Latino, African American, male and younger. The researchers looked at rates of high blood pressure, high lipid levels (including cholesterol and triglycerides), heart disease resulting from reduced oxygen to the heart, rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis and diabetes. They found that people with HIV were 1.5 times more likely to have diabetes and 2.1 times more likely to have rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. The HIV-positive individuals were 2.4 times more likely to have one chronic health condition in addition to HIV and 7.1 times more likely to have five additional conditions.