Survey of pain and stigma experiences in people diagnosed with mpox in Baltimore, Maryland during 2022 global outbreak

A high prevalence of mpox in men who have sex with men and in people with HIV, plus visually striking and contagious lesions, have raised concerns for mpox stigma. 24 PCR-confirmed mpox patients were surveyed over the course of three months, utilizing an mpox stigma scale adapted from the HIV Stigma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2024-05, Vol.19 (5), p.e0299587
Main Authors: Schmalzle, Sarah Ann, Grant, Matthew, Lovelace, Susan, Jung, Jiwon, Choate, Clara, Guerin, Julie, Weinstein, Walker, Taylor, Gregory
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Analgesics
Baltimore - epidemiology
Biology and Life Sciences
Care and treatment
Discrimination against AIDS virus carriers
Disease Outbreaks
Epidemics
FDA approval
Female
Gender identity
HIV
HIV (Viruses)
HIV Infections - drug therapy
HIV Infections - epidemiology
HIV Infections - psychology
Homosexuality, Male - psychology
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Immunization
Male
Medical diagnosis
Medicine and Health Sciences
Men
Middle Aged
Monkeypox
Mpox
Mpox (monkeypox)
Narcotics
Opioids
Pain
Pain - psychology
Pain management
Patient satisfaction
Patients
Polls & surveys
Sexual and Gender Minorities - psychology
Sexual partners
Sexually transmitted diseases
Smallpox
Social aspects
Social Stigma
STD
Stigma
Surveys
Surveys and Questionnaires
Tetracycline
Tetracyclines
Vaccines
Young Adult
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Summary:A high prevalence of mpox in men who have sex with men and in people with HIV, plus visually striking and contagious lesions, have raised concerns for mpox stigma. 24 PCR-confirmed mpox patients were surveyed over the course of three months, utilizing an mpox stigma scale adapted from the HIV Stigma Scale plus assessment of pain, analgesic efficacy, and healthcare experiences. Participants were cis-male (100%), with male sexual partners (96%), mostly African-American (88%), and living with HIV (79%). Patients answered 4-16 of 24 (mean 10) stigma questions affirmatively, particularly related to negative effects of mpox on the LGBTQ community. 79% reported pain, most commonly of limbs and perianal area, with perianal pain being rated most severe. The most effective pain relief occurred with opioids (100% major relief, n = 2) and tecovirimat (63% major relief, 25% moderate, n = 16). Patients were satisfied with care provided at the studied clinics, but had negative experiences at all other mentioned sites.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0299587