Table 1.
Symptom rank order, frequency, percentage and mean intensity
| Problem | Rank | Frequency | Percentage | Mean intensity (a) |
| Headaches | 1. | 403 | 79.0 | 2.15 |
| Fever | 2. | 351 | 68.8 | 1.83 |
| Thirsty | 3. | 346 | 67.8 | 2.17 |
| Fatigue | 4. | 340 | 66.7 | 2.10 |
| Weakness | 5. | 338 | 66.3 | 1.79 |
| Painful joints | 6. | 332 | 65.1 | 2.08 |
| Nausea | 7. | 307 | 60.2 | 1.74 |
| Muscle aches | 8. | 302 | 59.2 | 1.95 |
| Fear/Worries | 9. | 300 | 58.8 | 1.87 |
| Dizziness | 10. | 293 | 57.5 | 1.89 |
| Lack of appetite | 11. | 281 | 55.1 | 1.80 |
| Abdominal pain | 12. | 280 | 54.9 | 2.08 |
| Depression (sadness) | 13. | 279 | 54.7 | 2.00 |
| Numbness/tingling of legs | 14. | 272 | 53.3 | 1.93 |
| Coughing/problems catching breath | 15. | 271 | 53.1 | 1.92 |
| Concern over weight loss | 16. | 270 | 52.9 | 2.38 |
| Night sweats | 17. | 269 | 52.7 | 2.03 |
| Memory loss | 18. | 264 | 51.8 | 2.04 |
| Constipation | 19. | 261 | 51.2 | 1.99 |
| Chills (feeling very cold) | 20. | 258 | 50.6 | 1.89 |
| Rash | 21. | 257 | 50.4 | 1.99 |
| Itchy skin | 22. | 256 | 50.2 | 1.98 |
| Anxious | 23. | 252 | 49.4 | 1.80 |
| Numbness/tingling of arms | 24. | 249 | 48.8 | 1.86 |
| Numbness/tingling of feet/toes | 25. | 244 | 47.8 | 1.92 |
| Numbness/tingling of hands/fingers | 26. | 242(b) | 47.5 | 1.83 |
| Swollen feet | 27. | 241 | 47.3 | 2.03 |
| Dry mouth | 28. | 240 | 47.1 | 2.02 |
| Shortness of breath with activity | 29. | 240 | 47.1 | 1.84 |
| Blurred vision | 30. | 238 | 46.7 | 2.18 |
| Burning with urination | 31. | 237 | 46.5 | 2.04 |
| Difficulty concentrating | 32. | 235 | 46.1 | 1.91 |
| Day sweats | 33. | 232 | 45.5 | 1.87 |
| Chest pain | 34. | 213 | 41.8 | 1.96 |
| Heart racing | 35. | 210 | 41.2 | 2.11 |
| Wheezing | 36. | 209 | 41.0 | 1.84 |
| Insomnia/can't sleep | 37. | 201 | 39.4 | 1.84 |
| Weight gain in stomach area | 38. | 195(b) | 38.2 | 2.22 |
| Diarrhoea | 39. | 193(c) | 37.8 | 1.83 |
| Easy bruising | 40. | 188 | 36.9 | 1.82 |
| Shortness of breath at rest | 41. | 173 | 33.9 | 1.87 |
| Loose stools | 42. | 167(b) | 32.7 | 1.78 |
| Gas/bloating | 43. | 162 | 31.8 | 1.72 |
| Sore throat | 44. | 156(c) | 30.6 | 1.80 |
| White spots in mouth/Thrush | 45. | 156 | 30.6 | 1.96 |
| Painful swallowing | 46. | 142(c) | 27.8 | 1.99 |
| Breast pain/changes | 47. | 140 | 27.5 | 1.59 |
| Vomiting | 48. | 134 | 26.3 | 1.71 |
| Prominent leg veins | 49. | 133 | 26.1 | 1.94 |
| Sore/bleeding gums | 50. | 130(c) | 25.5 | 1.73 |
| Rectal itching | 51. | 130 | 25.5 | 1.97 |
| Swollen glands | 52. | 127 | 24.9 | 1.92 |
| Skinny arms and legs | 53. | 126(b) | 24.7 | 1.99 |
| Mouth ulcers | 54. | 115 | 22.5 | 1.80 |
| Flushing | 55. | 115 | 22.5 | 1.73 |
| Sores or lumps on genitals | 56. | 113 | 22.2 | 1.85 |
| Concern over weight gain | 57. | 110 | 21.6 | 1.72 |
| Nose bleeds | 58. | 107 | 21.0 | 1.84 |
| Seizures/tremors | 59. | 99 | 19.4 | 2.15 |
| Nipple discharge | 60. | 61 | 12.0 | 1.68 |
| Rectal discharge | 61. | 52 | 10.2 | 1.80 |
| Blood in spit/sputum | 62. | 50 | 9.8 | 1.76 |
| Hump on back of neck/shoulders | 63. | 47 | 9.2 | 1.95 |
| Rectal bleeding | 64. | 46 | 9.0 | 1.95 |
"a" 1 (mild), 2 (moderate), 3 (severe). "b" Significantly more frequent among PLHIV on ART (P > .01), "c" Significantly more frequent among PLHIV not on ART (P > .01)