Chronic pain and cognitive impairment: a cross-sectional study in people living with HIV
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Cognitive impairment and chronic pain are amongst the most prevalent neurological sequelae of HIV infection, yet little is understood about the potential bidirectional relationship between the two conditions. Cognitive dysfunction can occur in chronic pain populations whilst those with cognitive impairment can display modified responses to experimentally induced painful stimuli. To date, this has not been explored in HIV cohorts.
This study aimed to identify any contribution of chronic pain to cognitive impairment in HIV and to determine differences in pain characteristics between those with and without cognitive dysfunction.
This was an observational cohort study involving people living with HIV (n = 148) in the United Kingdom. Participants underwent validated questionnaire-based measurement of pain severity, interference and symptom quality as well as conditioned pain modulation and quantitative sensory testing. All participants completed a computer-based cognitive function assessment.
Fifty-seven participants met the criteria for cognitive impairment and 73 for chronic pain. The cognitive impairment group had a higher prevalence of chronic pain (p = 0.004) and reported more neuropathic symptoms (p = 0.001). Those with chronic pain performed less well in emotional recognition and verbal learning domains. The interaction identified between chronic pain and cognitive dysfunction warrants further exploration to identify causal links or shared pathology.
This study aimed to identify any contribution of chronic pain to cognitive impairment in HIV and to determine differences in pain characteristics between those with and without cognitive dysfunction.
This was an observational cohort study involving people living with HIV (n = 148) in the United Kingdom. Participants underwent validated questionnaire-based measurement of pain severity, interference and symptom quality as well as conditioned pain modulation and quantitative sensory testing. All participants completed a computer-based cognitive function assessment.
Fifty-seven participants met the criteria for cognitive impairment and 73 for chronic pain. The cognitive impairment group had a higher prevalence of chronic pain (p = 0.004) and reported more neuropathic symptoms (p = 0.001). Those with chronic pain performed less well in emotional recognition and verbal learning domains. The interaction identified between chronic pain and cognitive dysfunction warrants further exploration to identify causal links or shared pathology.
Date Issued
2023-08-01
Date Acceptance
2021-03-09
Citation
AIDS Care: psychological and socio-medical aspects of AIDS-HIV, 2023, 35 (8), pp.1201-1214
ISSN
0954-0121
Publisher
Routledge
Start Page
1201
End Page
1214
Journal / Book Title
AIDS Care: psychological and socio-medical aspects of AIDS-HIV
Volume
35
Issue
8
Copyright Statement
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa
UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis
Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use,distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis
Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use,distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09540121.2021.1902934
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2021-03-19