PAINFUL SYMPTOMS REPORTED BY AMBULATORY HIV-INFECTED MEN IN A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY

We studied the painful symptoms associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV infection and its treatment in a group of men enrolled in a prospective longitudinal study of HIV effects on the nervous system. The most common painful illnesses reported were HIV-related headaches , herpes simplex, painful peripheral neuropathy, back pain, herpes zos ter, 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT)-induced headaches, throat pain, and arthralgia. Painful illnesses were reported at all stages of syste mic disease but were more common in the later stages of disease and in subjects who progressed to a more advanced stage during the study per iod. There was an association between the frequency of multiple pains, increased disability on the Karnofsky scale, and higher depression sc ores, as measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). We conclude th at painful symptoms are important even in relatively healthy and indep endent HIV-infected men.