Diniz LO, Pinto JA

Language: English
References: 19
Page: 325-334
PDF size: 142.03 Kb.

ABSTRACT

Introduction. Quality of life (QoL) is an important consideration in the management of chronic progressive illnesses such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It provides the opportunity to understand the effects of disease and treatment to include their impact on physical, psychological and social functioning. We evaluated the QoL of HIV-infected children and established the association between QoL and CD4 cell counts, viral load, clinical status and antiretroviral therapy (ART).
Methods. QoL was assessed by the General Health Assessment for Children developed for PACTG 219 and examined domains of health perceptions, functional status, social and role functioning, health care utilization, symptoms and associated events. Children were divided into groups according to their AIDS status, viral load, CD4 and ART.
Results. One hundred seventy four children and adolescents were evaluated. Good scores were obtained in all domains. No difference was found in QoL scores among patients with different AIDS status. Patients with higher CD4 cell percentages had better QoL in health perceptions and symptoms domains. Low viral load was related to better QoL in social and role functioning. No relationship was found between ART and QoL. Patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) showed similar QoL scores in comparison with those without HAART.
Conclusion. HIV children reached high scores in all QoL domains. CD4 and viral load presented positive association with some of the domains assessed. HAART was able to provide similar QoL compared to other treatment groups, pointing to a balance between clinical benefits and side effects of therapy.

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