Fatigue in HIV/AIDS patients with comorbidities

Corless, I.B.; Voss, J.G.; Nicholas, P.K.; Bunch, E.H.; Bain, C.A.; Coleman, C.; Dole, P.J.; Eller, L.S.; Hamilton, M.J.; Holzemer, W.L.; Kemppainen, J.K.; Kirksey, K.M.; Sefcik, E.F.; Nokes, K.M.; Tsais, Y.F.; Reynolds, N.R.; Wantland, D.J.; Mc Gibbon, C.; Davis, S.M.; Rivero Mendez, M.; Valencia, C.P.

doi:10.1016/j.apnr.2006.11.001

« Previous Next »Applied Nursing Research
Volume 21, Issue 3 , Pages 116-122, August 2008

Fatigue in HIV/AIDS patients with comorbidities

I.B. Corless, PhD, RN, FAAN
- Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA, USA
- Corresponding author. Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions, CNY 36 1st Ave., Boston, MA, USA.
J.G. Voss, PhD, RN
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
P.K. Nicholas, DNSc, MPH, APRN, BC
- Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA, USA
E.H. Bunch, DNSc,RN
- University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
C.A. Bain, MS, RN
- University of California–San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
C. Coleman, PhD, MPH, RN
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
P.J. Dole, EdD, MPH, FNP
- Greenwich House, New York, NY, USA
L.S. Eller, PhD, RN
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, USA
M.J. Hamilton, PhD, RNC
- Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, TX, USA
W.L. Holzemer, PhD, RN, FAAN
- University of California–San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
J.K. Kemppainen, PhD, RN
- University of North Carolina–Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA
K.M. Kirksey, PhD, RN
- Ben Taub General Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
E.F. Sefcik, PhD, RNCS
- Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, TX, USA
K.M. Nokes, PhD, RN, FAAN
- Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
Y.F. Tsais, PhD, RN
- School of Nursing, Chang-Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
N.R. Reynolds, PhD, RN, NP
- Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
D.J. Wantland, PhD (c)
- University of California–San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
C. Mc Gibbon, PhD
- University of New Brunswick, New Brunswick, Canada
S.M. Davis, MSN
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
M. Rivero Mendez, PhD, RN
- University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
C.P. Valencia, PhD, RN
- Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali, Cali, Colombia

Received 29 April 2006; received in revised form 25 October 2006; accepted 21 November 2006.

Abstract

Fatigue has been identified as a key complaint among patients with HIV/AIDS. Although having more than one disease is expected to increase symptom severity, this relationship has not been explored extensively. We investigated differences in fatigue severity together with the impact of demographic factors and the number of comorbidities and symptoms among patients with and those without comorbidities at 18 international clinical and community sites. Specific comorbidities and the number of symptoms associated with increased fatigue severity. Only by distinguishing fatigue as to its causes and patterns will health care providers be able to intervene specifically and thus more effectively.