[Pain and treatment of pain in patients with AIDS]

Published articles report that 50-97% of patients with AIDS experience pain. The aim of the study was to determine the incidence and characteristics of pain connected with AIDS, to register pain treatment and patients' evaluation of such treatment. Ninety-five patients with AIDS underwent a semistructured interview. The overall incidence of AIDS-related pain was found to be 74%. Fifty-two percent of the patients experienced pain every day or constantly to a degree described as "some or severe". Thirty-one percent of the patients had a pain duration of more than three months and 25% of the patients were never free from pain. Eleven percent received medical pain treatment on a steady hourly basis. Despite these results, the majority of the patients were satisfied with the treatment and only three percent stated that they were not satisfied. It is concluded that patients with AIDS have a higher incidence of pain, which appears to be undertreated. The reason for this undertreatment is multifactorial. The patients appear to be very reluctant to receive medical pain treatment.