Pain Profile and Serum Glutamate Dehydrogenase Levels in Adults Living with HIV Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy

This study included 151 adults living with HIV receiving antiretroviral therapy, predominantly male (85.4%) with a median age of 36 years. Most participants were treated with the TDF+3TC+DTG regimen. Nociceptive pain was identified in 29.1% of participants, while no neuropathic pain cases were detected using the PainDETECT questionnaire.

Female participants reported pain more frequently than males, showing a significant association between gender and pain status (p=0.005). In contrast, smoking, alcohol consumption, viral load status, and ART regimen were not significantly associated with pain.

The mean serum glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) level was 10.44 ± 7.7 U/L. No significant difference in GDH levels was observed between participants with nociceptive pain and those without pain (p=0.97), indicating that GDH was not associated with pain status in this cohort. However, GDH levels were significantly higher in patients with detectable viral load. Overall, the findings suggest that pain in PLWH receiving modern ART is predominantly nociceptive rather than neuropathic.