Health related quality of life (HRQoL) of people living with HIV: A comparison with biomedical markers of HIV

Abstract

Background: Health related quality of life (HRQoL) in HIV patients has become an important indicator of impact of disease and treatment outcomes. Linking CD4 count to HRQoL measures is necessary to determine if HRQoL can be predicted from CD4 count. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out at Chitungwiza Opportunistic Infections Clinic among HIV patients on ART. The HAT-QoL and EQ-5D-3L were used to measure HRQoL. Internal consistency of HAT-QoL and EQ-5D-3L was evaluated. Univariate and multivariable linear regression was used to identify predictors of HRQoL in HIV/AIDS patients. Results: A total of 257 participants (mean age 39.7±8.9, 72% female) out of 351(73.4% response rate) consented to take part in the study. The overall mean HAT-QoL score was 69.3±16.9. The mean EQ-5D-3L index and VAS scores were 68.7± 29.4 and 73.3 ±18.9 respectively. The overall Cronbach‟s alpha for HAT-QoL and EQ-5D-3L was 0.76 (p<0.001) and 0.68 (p<0.001). The Cronbach‟s alpha between EQ-VAS and EQ-5D index was 0.68 (p=0.004). Income was a significant predictor of HRQoL scores [(HAT-QoL: β=0.37, p<.001), (EQ-5D index: β=0.18, p=0.05), (EQ-VAS :β=0.19, p=0.04)] . CD4 count was not correlated with HRQoL scores. Unadjusted coefficients and p-values were: (β=0.09, p=0.26), (β=0.05, p=0.59) and (β=0.16, p=0.06) for HAT-QoL, EQ-5D index and EQ-VAS respectively. Adjusted coefficients and p-values were (β=0.02, p=0.82),(β= 0.07, p=0.48) and (β=0.12, p=0.19) for HAT-QoL, EQ-5D index and EQ-VAS respectively. Conclusion: There was no correlation between CD4 count and HRQoL scores. HAT-QoL and EQ-5D-3L have good psychometric properties and potential for use in clinical settings. Page | x Incorporation of HRQoL in the management of HIV/AIDS patients is essential to provide clinicians with accurate estimates of the quality of life patients.