RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: Access to antiretroviral treatment (ART) has become essential to delay HIV clinical progression and increase survival, so improving Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL). The aim of this investigation was to describe factors associated with ART and their impact on HRQL in HIV infected patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional study on 150 HIV-outpatients in a tertiary hospital was designed, and ART-related data collected. Adherence was assessed by the SMAQ questionnaire. HRQL data were collected by disease-specific questionnaire MOS-HIV (Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey). RESULTS: A total of 84% of patients were on ART. Half of the treatment regimens were Protease inhibitor (PI) based, LPV/r being the most commonly used drug. The large majority of treatments used (89.7%) were second line or successive, and NNRTI-based combinations were the most used in first line. Lipodystrophy was the most frequently referred side-effect (61.1%). Almost all (94.5%) of our patients declared they were adapting well to treatment in their daily-life-activities, with 64.3% adhering to treatment according to the SMAQ (Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire) questionnaire. In the HRQL, patients with PI-based treatment got lower scores in 4 of 11 domains with the MOS-HIV questionnaire; while patients that adapted well to their ART had better scores in 4 of 11 domains and overall HRQL assessment in MOS-HIV. CONCLUSIONS: Most of our patients were on ART during our investigation. We have documented a negative association between PI-based treatment and HRQL domains, and a positive association between subjective ART adaptation and HRQL. The assessment of HRQL in this population has increasing interest as it is influenced by ART related factors as treatment improves life conditions of HIV infected people.