Association Between Health-Related Quality of Life and Physical Functioning in Antiretroviral-Naive HIV-Infected Patients

HIV-related Stigma and Discrimination in Health Care and Health-related Quality of Life among People Living with HIV in England and Wales: A Latent Class Analysis

Though life expectancy of people living with HIV (PLHIV) is now comparable to that of HIV-negative persons, their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) lags behind. Lower HRQoL among PLHIV may vary meaningfully, shaped in part by social factors, including stigma. Using data from Positive Voices, a national cross-sectional probability survey of adults ≥ 18 years living with HIV and accessing HIV care services in England and Wales (N = 4,422), we conducted latent class analysis on responses to a HRQoL measure (problems with mobility, usual activities, self-care, pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression) to identify HRQoL patterns, followed by multinomial logistic regression to examine relationships between HRQoL classes and a 4-item measure of HIV-related stigma and discrimination in health care. Four classes emerged: All Problems (18% prevalence); Pain and Distress (18%); Pain and Mobility (9%); No Problems (55%). Scale scores of HIV-related stigma and discrimination in health care were positively, significantly associated with membership in the All Problems (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.05; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.85, 2.28), Pain and Distress (aOR = 1.56; CI = 1.41, 1.73), and Pain and Mobility classes (aOR = 1.33; CI = 1.16, 1.52) compared to the No Problems class. A similar trend was observed for individual stigma and discrimination items. HRQoL among PLHIV in England and Wales varies and may be underpinned or exacerbated by HIV-related stigma and discrimination in health care. Ensuring stigma-mitigation interventions reach all health care systems/providers and emotional support services reach all PLHIV may improve HRQoL for PLHIV.

Association between handgrip strength and bone mass parameters in HIV-infected children and adolescents. A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Low bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) have been identified in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected children and adolescents. The direct adverse effects of HIV infection and combined antiretroviral therapy (ART) negatively contribute to bone metabolism. A direct relationship between muscle strength levels and BMD in HIV-infected adults and older adults has been described. However, it is unknown whether handgrip strength (HGS) is associated with bone mass in pediatric populations diagnosed with HIV.

OBJECTIVE

To ascertain whether HGS levels are associated with BMC and BMD in HIV-infected children and adolescents.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Cross-sectional study conducted in Florianãpolis, Brazil, in 2016.

METHODS

The subjects were 65 children and adolescents (8-15 years) diagnosed with vertically-transmitted HIV. Subtotal and lumbar-spine BMC and BMD were obtained via dual-emission X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). HGS was measured using manual dynamometers. The covariates of sex, ART, CD4+ T lymphocytes and viral load were obtained through questionnaires and medical records. Sexual maturation was self-reported and physical activity was measured using accelerometers. Simple and multiple linear regression were used, with P < 0.05.

RESULTS

HGS was directly associated with subtotal BMD (β = 0.002; R² = 0.670; P < 0.001), subtotal BMC (β = 0.090; R² = 0.734; P = 0.005) and lumbar-spine BMC (β = 1.004; R² = 0.656; P = 0.010) in the adjusted analyses. However, no significant association was found between HGS and lumbar-spine BMD (β = 0.001; R² = 0.464; P = 0.299).

CONCLUSION

HGS was directly associated with BMD and BMC in HIV-infected children and adolescents.

Comparison of functioning and health-related quality of life among patients with HTLV-1, HIV, and HIV-HTLV-1-coinfection

INTRODUCTION:

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human T-cell leukemia virus-1 (HTLV-1) viruses are associated with a high global burden of disease, and coinfection is a frequently reported event. We aimed to compare the functioning and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients infected with HTLV-1, HIV, and HIV-HTLV-1.

METHODS:

We conducted a cross-sectional study of patients older than 18 years who had an HTLV-1 infection (Group A), HIV infection (Group B), or HIV-HTLV-1 coinfection (Group C). The functioning profiles were evaluated using handgrip strength, Berg balance scale (BBS), timed “up and go” (TUG) test, and 5-m walk test (m/s). We used the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) questionnaire to measure disability. The HRQoL was evaluated using a 36-item short-form health survey. For data with parametric and non-parametric distribution, we used analysis of variance with Bonferroni correction and the Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by Dunn’s pairwise tests with Bonferroni correction.

RESULTS:

We enrolled 68 patients in Group A, 39 in Group B, and 29 in Group C. The scores for handgrip strength, BBS, TUG test, all the WHODAS domains, and HRQoL were poorer for Groups A and C than for Group B.

CONCLUSIONS:

Compared to patients with HIV infection, those with HIV-HTLV-1 coinfection and HTLV-1 infection had poor functioning and HRQoL scores. HTLV-1 infection was associated with reduced functioning and HRQoL in patients with a single HTLV-1 infection and HIV-HTLV-1 coinfection.

Validity and reliability of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey questionnaire version 2 among people living with HIV in Brazil

Background

The 36-Item Short Form Health Survey questionnaire (SF-36) is a widely used instrument for evaluating health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL). The psychometric validation of the SF-36 version 2.0 (SF-36v2) in HIV-infected patients had not yet conducted in Brazil.

Aim

To test data quality, reliability and validity of the SF-36v2 as a measure of HRQoL among Brazilian individuals living with HIV.

Methods

A cross-sectional study included 393 HIV-infected patients in whom HRQoL was assessed by using the SF-36v2 questionnaire. Demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status and clinical data were also collected. The SF-36 version 1 translated into Brazilian-Portuguese was adapted and introduced version 2 improvements according to the instrument developers. SPSS version 21 was used for data analyses. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling were performed using AMOS SPSS version 18. T-test for independent samples was used to compare differences between mean levels of HRQoL components in different groups. Linear multiple regression techniques were used to analyze the relationship between Physical Component Summary (PCS), Mental Component Summary (MCS) and independent variables.

Results

We performed the CFA and tested the hypothetical measurement model. We included five parameters to improve the adherence of data to the model. All indicators met the requirement suggested by specialized literature (χ2 (gl): 980.7 (527); CFI: 0.949; GFI: 0.873; TLI: 0.943; RMSEA: 0.047; 90% IC: 0.042-0.051). Multiple regression analyses revealed that depression (p = 0.001), family income (p = 0.007), sex (p = 0.001) and age (p< 0.021) were associated with MCS. Comorbidities (p = 0.001), health self-perception (p = 0.001), age (p = 0.001), and sex (p = 0.025) were associated with PCS.

Conclusions

A consistent validation of the SF-36v2 in Brazilian HIV patients were shown. Further studies with SF-36v2 psychometric analyses would be required in other populations to establish Brazilian normative data.