THE IMPACT OF AGE ON THE QUALITY-OF-LIFE IN PERSONS WITH HIV-INFECTION

The authors administered the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS 20) Short For m Health Survey to 369 persons with HIV disease. The MOS survey measur es six domains of health: physical function, role function, social fun ction, mental health, health perception, and pain. Additional data inc luded sociodemographics, HIV risk group, time since HIV diagnosis, sym ptoms (dyspnea, diarrhea, fever, chills, sweats, weight loss, weakness , numbness, memory trouble, seizures), and CD4 lymphocyte count within 3 months of the MOS survey. Bivariate analyses revealed worse MOS sco res associated with older age in five health domains: physical functio n (p < .01), health perception (p < .10), role function (n.s.), social function (n.s.), social function (n.s.), and mental health (n.s.). Ol der subjects reported less pain. When controlling for CD4 count and fo r sociodemographic and clinical variables, older age was significantly (p < .05) associated with worse MOS scores in physical function, soci al function, and health perception, nonsignificantly associated with w orse MOS scores in role function and mental health, and nonsignificant ly associated with less reporting of pain.