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Tarantino N, Norman B, Enimil A, Osei Asibey S, Martyn-Dickens C, Guthrie K, Kwara A, Bock B, Mimiaga MJ, Brown L. HIV symptom severity and associated factors among young people with HIV in Ghana. AIDS Care 2024:1-9. [PMID: 38184890 DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2023.2299332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
ABSTRACTAdolescents and young adults (young people) with HIV (YPWH) often struggle with treatment self-management. Many have symptoms due to HIV disease, medication side-effects, or comorbid conditions. Our study investigated the severity of HIV-related symptoms among YPWH aged 18-24 with detectable viral loads from an HIV clinic in Ghana (N = 60) and potential correlates of severity across a range of factors. Results indicated that YPWH currently experienced, on average, 13 symptoms (SD = 12.33). Six of the 10 most common symptoms were from two domains: fatigue and psychological. The most common symptoms were headaches (62%), weakness (53%), and fear/worries (52%). No differences were observed in number or severity of symptoms between youth based on HIV transmission status. Bivariate correlates of symptom severity were found with six that remained significant or approached significance in a multivariate model predicting severity: living with a parent/guardian, higher perceived access to HIV care, and higher treatment readiness were associated with lower severity while greater travel time to the HIV clinic, psychological distress, and more missed clinic appointments were associated with higher severity. Our findings suggest that interventions to address symptoms among YPWH should be multilevel and include strategies (e.g., telehealth, home care) to increase access to care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Tarantino
- Department of Psychology, Providence College, Providence, RI, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Betty Norman
- Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana
- Department of Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Anthony Enimil
- Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana
- Department of Child Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | | | | | - Kate Guthrie
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
- Center for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Awewura Kwara
- Department of Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL USA
| | - Beth Bock
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
- Center for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Matthew J Mimiaga
- UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Center for LGBTQ+ Advocacy, Research & Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Larry Brown
- Department of Psychiatry, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
- UCLA Center for LGBTQ+ Advocacy, Research & Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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