Quality of life and its determinants among people living with HIV attending an antiretroviral treatment center in Delhi, India.

BACKGROUND: With universal access to antiretroviral treatment (ART), the management of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) encompasses holistic, comprehensive care. Despite being a vital goal of care, quality of life (QOL) assessment of PLHIV in India is neglected. OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the QOL and its determinants among PLHIV accessing services through ART centers. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2015 to February 2017 among 109 PLHIV attending an ART center in New Delhi. Sociodemographic and clinical profile characteristics were ascertained. QoL was evaluated using the medical outcomes study HIV health survey questionnaire; physical health summary (PHS), and mental health summary (MHS) scores were calculated. Depression was evaluated with the becks depression inventory and social support using the multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Chi-square test, Student's t-test, and analysis of variance were used as test of significance. RESULTS: The overall QOL was: PHS-48.04 ± 8.27 and MHS 42.43 ± 8.79. PHS scores were significantly higher among PLHIV with older age (P = 0.04), higher formal education (P = 0.022), early HIV disease (P = 0.006), higher CD4 counts (current, peak and nadir: P =0.024, 0.008, and ≤0.001, respectively), receiving ART (P = 0.05), with better social support (P = 0.012) and without depression (P ≤ 0.001). Similarly, MHS scores were better in PLHIV with greater formal education (P = 0.009), early HIV disease (P = 0.046), without depression (P ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSION: Depression and social support mechanisms emerged as two key determinants of QOL. Older age, higher education, less advanced disease, and ART were predictive of better QOL.

A rare case of disseminated penicilliosis - first of its kind from North India.

Penicilliosis is a rare opportunistic fungal infection caused by Talaromyces marneffei, especially in the HIV-infected patients. The untreated disease is highly fatal. The infection is endemic in Southeast Asia and Northeast India. The present case is the first case of disseminated penicilliosis from North India and Delhi in a 31-year-old male, recently diagnosed with HIV. This case highlights the importance of considering an unusual organism as the cause of disseminated disease in the nonendemic area.