Gender differences in symptom burden among people living with HIV/AIDS receiving antiretroviral therapy in Yunnan, China

ABSTRACT

Little is known about gender differences in the symptom burden of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) on antiretroviral therapy in China. This study was conducted based on a biopsychosocial-medical model to describe gender differences in symptom burden among 1035 PLWHA in Yunnan Province, China. After propensity score matching, 798 PLWHA were included in this analysis. Feeling stressed, poor sleep, and memory loss were the most burdensome symptoms among men, while feeling stressed, memory loss, and dizziness were the most burdensome symptoms among women. Among men PLWHA, factors associated with symptom burden were being of the ethnic minority, CD4 count ≥ 500 cells/mm³, physical functioning, and social support. Among women PLWHA, factors associated with symptom burden were being an inpatient, physical functioning, psychological functioning, and social support. Our findings suggest that healthcare providers need to take into account gender differences when developing optimal prevention, treatment, and care programs that provide individualized care to reduce patients’ symptom burden.

KEYWORDS:

• HIV/AIDS
• symptom burden
• gender differences
• China
• cross-sectional study

Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 3: Good health and well-being

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all of the respondents and the staff who contributed to the data collection.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Email: [email protected].

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The researchers adhered to the principles of the Helsinki Declaration throughout the study. Participants in our study were fully informed of the purpose and potential benefits of this study. This information was collected after informed consent was obtained from each participant, and participation in this study was voluntary with the right to withdraw from the study at any time. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the School of Nursing, Fudan University (IRB #TYSA2016-3-1).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 71673057, PI: Yan Hu].