Treatment Adherence, Quality of Life and Clinical Variables in HIV/AIDS Infection

The purpose of the study was to analyze the relationship between treatment adherence, quality of life and clinical variables in HIV/AIDS Infection. The empirical study was conducted at two Portuguese hospitals (Porto and Lisbon) with a sample of 295 outpatients diagnosed with HIV/AIDS attending the Infectology service and on antiretroviral medication, during a 12-month period (February 2009 to February 2010). Data were collected by voluntary fulfillment of three questionnaires: one for socio-demographic variables, one to Assess Adherence to Antiretroviral Treatment-HIV and the Portuguese version of the WHOQOL-Bref to measure the quality of life (QoL). Clinical records were inspected in order to collect clinical information from the patients. The relationship between these variables was accessed by Student’s t-test and ANOVA using Tukey and LSD as the post Hoc test. Regarding disease stages, the post Hoc analysis has showed that asymptomatic patients have a better level of adherence and quality of life when compared to those in more advanced stages of the disease. Undetectable viral load <20 copies/mL and T CD4+ count >500 cells/mm3 were also associated with higher QoL in all overall domains. Patients on NRTI + NNTRI regimens have higher adherence when compared to those on NRTI + PI regimens and higher QoL indexes when compared to twice daily regimens, patients on single dose per day regimens have higher adherence and higher QoL in overall domain. Patients experiencing adverse effects have lower QoL and lower adherence levels when compared to those not experiencing such events. We consider the multiplicity and the interaction of several determinants of influence in the adaptation process during the HIV/AIDS treatment. The results may have implications for the psychological intervention to improve the adherence’s level to the antiretroviral therapy.