CONSTITUTIONAL SYMPTOMS AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY-OF-LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH SYMPTOMATIC HIV DISEASE

PURPOSE: To assess the severity of constitutional symptoms in persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and their relations hip to health-related quality of life (HRQOL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: T wo hundred five HIV-infected patients (93% male, 26% African American, 28% Latino, 39% white, 7% other ethnicity) with diarrhea, fever, or w eight loss were studied at a county hospital and a Veterans Administra tion hospital in southern California. Consenting subjects were adminis tered a battery that included 11 scales measuring various aspects of h ealth-related quality of life and detailed questions about six constit utional symptoms or symptom complexes (myalgias, exhaustion, anorexia/ nausea/vomiting, night sweats, fever, and weight loss) as well as abou t other manifestations of HIV disease. RESULTS: Constitutional symptom s except weight loss were all strongly related to all measures of qual ity of life. On 0 (worst) to 100 (best) point scales, mean scores rang ed from 34 (for individuals having all five symptoms other than weight loss) to 78 (for those with none) for physical function, 43 to 79 for emotional well-being, and 36 to 73 for social function. Adjustment fo r helper T-lymphocyte counts, duration of illness, and demographic cha racteristics did not diminish these associations. CONCLUSION: The pres ence, number, and severity of constitutional symptoms in HIV disease i s strongly related to health-related quality of life in symptomatic HI V-infected individuals. Identifying and treating these very common sym ptoms has the potential to improve quality of life in these patients. (C) 1998 by Excerpta Medica, Inc.