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Fluctuating symptoms have major impact on quality of life and fitness to work, survey finds
Gus Cairns, 2011-09-07 17:30:00
Common but non-specific symptoms of uncertain cause can dominate the day-to-day life of some people with HIV, a survey by the National AIDS Trust has found. In many cases symptoms such as fatigue, insomnia, depression, diarrhoea and neuropathy make it hard to work and perform other daily activities, the report of the survey finds.
The survey also found a significant degree of overlap between symptoms; generally, if people had one symptom, more than two-thirds of them were likely to have at least one other. One other finding was that the majority of respondents found that the symptoms were not only fluctuating, but were also completely unpredictable. This made planned activities, both at work and socially, difficult. About 60% of respondents were employed.
This study is a pilot survey of an independent working group brought together to review the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), the medical procedure under which claimants are assessed for Employment and Support Allowance. The WCA had been criticised, especially in an independent review conducted by occupational health expert Professor Malcolm Harrington, for being inflexible and for not being designed to accommodate illnesses characterised by fluctuating symptoms. See www.aidsmap.com/Whats-happening-to-benefits/page/1793223/ for more on the WCA and the Harrington Report.
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