Symptoms and Quality of Life of People Living with HIV Infection in Puerto Rico‪.‬

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has spread widely across the globe and, currently, the Caribbean has the second highest prevalence of the epidemic in the world after Sub-Saharan Africa (1). Recent figures show that 1.4 million people are living with HIV in Latin America (1). Puerto Rico has been severely affected by HIV/AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic. Of the more than 31,586 reported cases of AIDS, 68% have died (2). Since 2003, 6,175 new cases of HIV have been identified (2). Therefore, the true impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic has probably been underestimated. Although the availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART) medications has reduced the death rate from AIDS, the rate of HIV infection has not declined (3). A diagnosis of HIV disease places unique burden on every aspect of the daily life of persons afflicted with this disease. People living with HIVinfection are confronted with physical and psychological challenges related to the disease, medication modalities, and other health conditions. The experience of HIV-related symptoms is a significant part of that challenge. Symptom experience is a dynamic process and includes the patient's perception, evaluation, and response to symptoms (4).