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

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%; I(2) = 98% [95% CI, 97%–99%]; P < .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.