AIDS Drugs Can Cause Premature Aging, Newcastle University Study

A class of generic AIDS drugs often used to treat HIV in Africa and other poor regions can cause premature aging and lead to age-related illnesses such as heart disease and dementia, scientists said on Sunday. In a study in the journal Nature Genetics, British researchers found that the drugs, known as nucleoside analog reverse-transcriptase inhibitors, or NRTIs, damage DNA in the patient's mitochondria -- the "batteries" that power cells.