Global Prevalence of Chronic Pain in Women with HIV: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Overview

Journal Open Forum Infect Dis

Specialty Infectious Diseases

Date 2023 Aug 7

PMID 37547855

Authors

Tetiana Povshedna

Shayda A Swann

Sofia L A Levy

Amber R Campbell

Manon Choiniere

Madeleine Durand

Colleen Price

Prubjot Gill

Melanie C M Murray

Helene C F Cote

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Chronic pain is common among people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and detrimental to quality of life and overall health. It is often underdiagnosed, undertreated, and frankly dismissed in women with HIV, despite growing evidence that it is highly prevalent in this population. Thus, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the global prevalence of chronic pain in women with HIV. The full protocol can be found on PROSPERO (identifier CRD42022301145). Of the 2984 references identified in our search, 36 were included in the systematic review and 35 in the meta-analysis. The prevalence of chronic pain was 31.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 24.6%-38.7%; = 98% [95% CI, 97%-99%]; < .0001). In this global assessment, we found a high prevalence of chronic pain among women with HIV, underscoring the importance of understanding the etiology of chronic pain, identifying effective treatments, and conducting regular assessments in clinical practice.

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