ArticlePloS one2015
Symptom Clusters in People Living with HIV Attending Five Palliative Care Facilities in Two Sub-Saharan African Countries: A Hierarchical Cluster Analysis.
Article in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- What constitutes a palliative care need in people with serious illnesses across Africa? A mixed-methods systematic review of the concept and evidence.Palliative medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Transdiagnostic Symptoms in Electronic Health Records of Sick-Listed Employees.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2026Article
- What are the symptoms and concerns of young adults living with life-limiting conditions and how well are they captured by patient reported outcome measures? A mixed-methods systematic review and framework synthesis.Palliative medicine · 2026Review
- Exploring psychological symptom associations among people living with HIV using an apriori algorithm.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Longitudinal Viral Load Clustering for People With HIV Using Functional Principal Component Analysis.AIDS research and treatment · 2025Article
- Attitudes Toward Menstrual Suppression Among Cyclic and Continuous Contraceptive Vaginal Ring Users in Kenya.Journal of family & reproductive health · 2023Article
- Health-related quality of life and associated factors among people living with HIV/AIDS in Sichuan, China: A cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Identifying subtypes of HIV/AIDS-related symptoms in China using latent profile analysis and symptom networks.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- HIV Symptom Clusters are Similar Using the Dimensions of Symptom Occurrence and Distress.Journal of pain and symptom management · 2022Article
- A Proposed Theory of Symptom Cluster Management.Belitung nursing journal · 2021Article
- Associations between symptom severity and treatment burden in people living with HIV.Journal of advanced nursing · 2020Article
- Polymorphisms in Estrogen Synthesis Genes and Symptom Clusters During the Menopausal Transition and Early Postmenopause: Observations From the Seattle Midlife Women's Health Study.Biological research for nursing · 2018Article
- Advancing Symptom Science Through Symptom Cluster Research: Expert Panel Proceedings and Recommendations.Journal of the National Cancer Institute · 2017Review
- Effect of Baseline Symptom Manifestations on Retention in Care and Treatment among HIV-Infected Patients in Nigeria.Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS CareArticle
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSymptom research across conditions has historically focused on single symptoms, and the burden of multiple symptoms and their interactions has been relatively neglected especially in people living with HIV. Symptom cluster studies are required to set priorities in treatment planning, and to lessen the total symptom burden. This study aimed to identify and compare symptom clusters among people living with HIV attending five palliative care facilities in two sub-Saharan African countries.
methodsData from cross-sectional self-report of seven-day symptom prevalence on the 32-item Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale-Short Form were used. A hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted using Ward's method applying squared Euclidean Distance as the similarity measure to determine the clusters. Contingency tables, X2 tests and ANOVA were used to compare the clusters by patient specific characteristics and distress scores.
resultsAmong the sample (N=217) the mean age was 36.5 (SD 9.0), 73.2% were female, and 49.1% were on antiretroviral therapy (ART). The cluster analysis produced five symptom clusters identified as: 1) dermatological; 2) generalised anxiety and elimination; 3) social and image; 4) persistently present; and 5) a gastrointestinal-related symptom cluster. The patients in the first three symptom clusters reported the highest physical and psychological distress scores. Patient characteristics varied significantly across the five clusters by functional status (worst functional physical status in cluster one, p<0.001); being on ART (highest proportions for clusters two and three, p=0.012); global distress (F=26.8, p<0.001), physical distress (F=36.3, p<0.001) and psychological distress subscale (F=21.8, p<0.001) (all subscales worst for cluster one, best for cluster four).
conclusionsThe greatest burden is associated with cluster one, and should be prioritised in clinical management. Further symptom cluster research in people living with HIV with longitudinally collected symptom data to test cluster stability and identify common symptom trajectories is recommended.
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