Prevalence and Correlates of Joint Pain in Chicago Midlife Women With HIV: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract Joint pain is among the most common and disabling forms of chronic pain in women. Whether joint pain is more prevalent among women with versus without HIV (WWH/WWoH) and contributes to greater impairment is unknown. The Pain, Enjoyment, and General Activity instrument assessed joint pain in midlife WWH versus WWoH to determine associations with frailty, loneliness, and depressive/anxiety symptoms. Moderate/severe pain was more commonly reported in WWH than WWoH (44.1 vs. 38.3%) but not significantly. Women with moderate/severe joint pain were more likely to be prefrail/frail (aOR 3.05; confidence interval [CI]: 1.65–5.63) and report greater depressive symptomology (aOR 2.42; CI: 1.31–4.47), anxiety (aOR 3.38; CI: 1.53–7.43), and loneliness (aOR 1.84; CI: 1.02–3.29). Joint pain is highly prevalent in mid-life WWH and WWoH and associated with frailty, depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Identifying and addressing joint pain and associated conditions may improve multiple health domains in midlife women with and without HIV.