HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY-OF-LIFE IN PERSONS WITH ACQUIRED-IMMUNE-DEFICIENCY-SYNDROME

Assessing health-related quality of life in persons infected with huma n immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is extremely important, but most availa ble scales are too long, contain items that are not relevant for such persons, or do not assess important signs and symptoms of HIV infectio n. This study presents a new set of scales for assessing the symptoms and functioning of persons infected with HIV and reports data on their reliability and validity collected in face-to-face interviews with 18 9 patients receiving primary care. This study also assesses the associ ations among systems, functional impairment, and global health assessm ents. The scales are easy to administer, are reliable, and serve as va lid measures of quality of life. Fatigue, functional status, and avera ge severity of all symptoms were the best predictors of overall percei ved health status. Psychological well-being and perceived health statu s were the best predictors of overall perceived health status. Psychol ogical well-being and perceived health status were the strongest corre lates of life satisfaction. When assessing the health-related quality of life of persons infected with HIV, this study recommends utilizing a comprehensive set of measures that allows one to examine both discre te symptoms and the more diffuse impact of illness on functioning, men tal health, and quality of life.