Abstract

Identifying both HIV-related and co-morbid symptoms experienced by people living with HIV (PLWH) who are also receiving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment is a major challenge for health care providers globally. Yet to date, little research has examined the symptoms of illness experienced by PLWH, including Latin populations either in the 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 sub-groups of patients of Chileans living with the virus. A convenience sample of 209 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 that the number of HIV-related symptoms that Chilean patients reported was positively associated with number of years living with HIV and also having completed college-level education. For the cluster analysis, PLWH who had completed college were two times more likely experience a mild intensity of HIV-related symptoms when compared to their counterparts of lesser education. Many PLWH, even those with low CD4 counts and low or undetectable viral loads, are not symptom free and clinicians need to incorporate symptom management into care for PLWH.