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Musculoskeletal Conditions in Persons Living with HIV/AIDS: A Scoping Review

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Abstract

Objective

Globally 37.9 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, and with mortality rates declining, there is an increasing focus on comorbidities including musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders. Therefore, the aim of this scoping review was to generate and summarize an overview of the existing scientific literature dealing with MSK complaints in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs).

Methods

This scoping review followed the five-stage methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library from inception to June 1, 2020. Two reviewers independently reviewed the articles for eligibility. A data extraction form was used to chart information such as author, year of publication, data source, sample size, country of origin, ethnicity, age, gender, antiretroviral therapy, MSK condition prevalence, and anatomical location.

Results

The search identified 10 522 articles. Of these, 27 studies were included after full-text screening for data extraction. Studies were conducted in thirteen different countries with diverse data sources such as outpatient clinic files, hospital records, primary care clinic files, and AIDS Service Organization files. PLWHAs have a variety of MSK conditions. Most studies reported spinal pain such as lower back or neck pain, but pain in the extremities and osteoarthritis (OA) were also represented. However, the frequencies of pain at various anatomical sites were highly variable.

Conclusion

There is a lack of knowledge regarding MSK conditions in PLWHAs. Future studies designed to specifically study MSK complaints and disabilities are needed to gain a better picture of the impact of these conditions in PLWHAs and to inform prevention and treatment strategies globally in this often-underserved population.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, 5230, Denmark

    Louise Schade Berg, James J. Young & Jan Hartvigsen

  2. Department of Research, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Toronto, M2H 3J1, Canada

    James J. Young & Deborah Kopansky-Giles

  3. Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, MG5 1V7, Canada

    Deborah Kopansky-Giles

  4. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Princess Marina Hospital, Gaborone, 8WVF+7H3, Botswana

    Stefan Eberspaecher

  5. World Spine Care, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Toronto, M2H 3J1, Canada

    Geoff Outerbridge

  6. Office of Public Health Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, 96822, USA

    Eric L. Hurwitz

  7. Chiropractic Knowledge Hub, Odense, 5230, Denmark

    Jan Hartvigsen

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  1. Louise Schade Berg
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  2. James J. Young
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  3. Deborah Kopansky-Giles
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  4. Stefan Eberspaecher
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  7. Jan Hartvigsen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jan Hartvigsen.

Ethics declarations

All authors are involved in World Spine Care, a not-for-profit charity aiming to promote evidence-based spine care in underserved communities, https://www.worldspinecare.org/.

Additional information

This work was supported by the Danish Foundation for Chiropractic Research and Post-graduate Education.

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Berg, L.S., Young, J.J., Kopansky-Giles, D. et al. Musculoskeletal Conditions in Persons Living with HIV/AIDS: A Scoping Review. CURR MED SCI 42, 17–25 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-022-2524-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-022-2524-5

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