No, HIV cannot directly cause kyphosis. Instead HIV can lead to certain types of infections that destroy a the spinal discs and bone that eventually leads to kyphosis. The most common cause of increasing thoracic kyphosis in adults is due to simple aging which results in increasing vertebral wedging. As we grow older the spine, which is made up of 33 blocks called vertebra, no longer maintain their rectangular shape. Instead these blocks become increasingly trapezoid in shape.
As a result of this mild degree of wedging within several blocks, it results in a more rounded for kyphotic appearance of the spine. The most common cause for the wedging is osteoporosis. Otherwise, there are several other causes for spinal kyphosis which not only depends on the location of the kyphosis (meaning where the kyphotic curve is in terms of the spine, as in the rib cage or lower back segments, or in the neck), but also the degree of deformity.
Traumatic causes include spondylosis as well as vertebral fractures and ligament injuries, and these are the second most common cause among adults. Likewise, there are both infectious and inflammatory causes that include rheumatologic disorders like ankylosing spondylitis or rheumatoid arthritis, as well as infectious causes like bacterial infections or tuberculosis.
Cowever the infectious and inflammatory causes are generally rare, but HIV status means that a person is susceptible to possibly increased infections. In the end, the underlying cause for the kyphosis can be challe diagnose and may require additional diagnostic imaging investigations.