Factors associated with health-related quality-of-life in HIV-infected Brazilians

Abstract

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome HIV/(AIDS) infection has become a chronic disease. This change led to a growing interest in outcomes focusing on the individual, such as health-related quality-of-life (QoL), to assess the impact of treatments. Our study evaluated the impact of the use of antiretroviral drugs, factors related to the infection and socioeconomic factors on the HQoL of HIV-infected patients. A total of 367 patients answered the questionnaire based on the World Health Organization QoL for HIV brief version. According to the modified-Poisson regression approach, the use of antiretroviral drugs was associated with worse QoL in the domain of the level of independence ( P = 0.016). Being unemployed was associated with a worse QoL ( P < 0.05) in five out of six domains; the only exception was the domain of spirituality ( P > 0.05). Among the factors assessed, the socioeconomic aspects were most significant in determining the HQoL of the patients studied.