HIV-related symptoms and patient clusters among Chileans living with HIV

Abstract

Identifying both Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related and co-morbid symptoms experienced by people living with HIV (PLWH) who are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment is a major challenge for healthcare providers globally. Yet, little research to date has examined the symptoms of illness experienced by PLWH including patients living in Central and South American. To address this gap, this study was designed to identify symptoms of HIV by socio-demographic and/or clinical characteristics among Chilean patients living with the virus. A convenience sample of 209 Chilean PLWH was recruited from an outpatient clinic in Santiago, Chile. A structured interview was used to elicit socio-demographic information and HIV symptoms status. Additional clinical information was obtained through a review of the participants' medical records. Results show that patients’ most commonly reported HIV-related symptoms were fear/worries (66%), anxiety (52%), gas/bloating (50%), and thirst (50%). Multivariate analysis revealed a positive association between the number of reported HIV-related symptoms and number of years living with HIV. Having completed college was negatively associated with number of symptoms. Latent class analysis indicated that PLWH in the sample who had completed college were two times more likely to experience a mild intensity of HIV-related symptoms than their lesser educated counterparts. Similarly, logistic regression revealed that college-educated PLWH were twice as likely to be classified in the subgroup reporting mild intensity of symptoms than those who lacked a college degree. Overall, the study's results reveal that many Chilean PLWH, even those with high CD4 counts and low or undetectable viral loads, are not symptom free. The findings point to the need for clinicians to tailor a plan of care for individuals living with HIV that is based on their symptomatology.

Keywords:

• symptoms
• HIV infections
• people living with HIV
• clusters analysis
• quantitative method

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the AIDS International Training and Research at University of Illinois at Chicago through funding from the John E. Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health (D43 TW001419). The authors acknowledge the contribution of Marcia Coffia, Ph.D., RN to process of translating the study's instruments and also the contribution to data collection from Mirella Scrivanti, RN, María de los Ángeles Tellería, healthcare assistant, Paula Soto, RN, Constanza Donoso, RN, Ricardo Rabagliati, MD, Jaime Labarca. MD, María Elvira Balcells, MD, María Cristina Ajenjo, MD, Michel Serri, MD, María Isabel Domínguez, MD, María Elena Ceballos, MD, and Cristina Moreno, MD.