Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Between 25-85% of individuals living with HIV are estimated to experience chronic pain at some point throughout their lives. While originally associated with intense, acute symptoms and low life-expectancy, access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) has converted HIV into a manageable but lifelong condition. While HIV and ART are both associated with the onset of chronic pain conditions, such as peripheral neuropathy, there is increasing evidence that people with HIV also experience high rates of non-neuropathic pain. However, chronic pain is often self-reported, unclear in origin, and only further complicated by the biopsychosocial effects of the virus, including the underrepresentation of women in HIV research. Therefore, the literature is not only limited by lack of research on the comorbidity itself, but also by the persistent bias in HIV research that ceases to detail how the condition affects women. This is particularly pressing as the global population of women living with HIV continues to grow. Thus, not only is it important to address these gaps in the research, but to map out exactly where these gaps are, and how - or, if - they are addressed in existing literature. This study is scoping review addressing the research question: "What is known from existing literature about chronic pain and its neurocognitive correlates in women and gender and/or sex-diverse individuals living with HIV?"This project aims to generate an extensive visualization of the known connections between chronic pain, HIV, aging, and sex, with particular attention to their neurocognitive correlates. Ultimately, this research project will support the ongoing CIHR-funded study of chronic pain and HIV led by Ibáñez-Carrasco at the University of Toronto by synthesizing a broad review of existing literature on HIV and chronic pain pertaining to a population of aging women, as well as providing additional neurological background.