RESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to known the influence of HIV-infection in health related quality of life (HRQL). We have used clinico-immune variables and progression mortality presented by the disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From March 1997 through March 1998 a total of 300 HIV-infected patients were carried out the Health Survey SF-36. We included a control group (also 300 patients) who suffered chronic viral hepatitis and potentials risks for the HIV-infection. We calculated the Cronbach s alpha coefficient to measure the reliability. We used clinical and biological data (count of CD4 lymphocytes in periphery blood) to related the IIRQL to the severity of the disease. To decide the progression mortality of the disease it was carried out a continuation along six mouths. RESULTS: The HIV-infected patients had lower punctuations in all dimensions of SF-36 that control group and population values of reference. The values of Cronbach s alpha coefficient are situated up of 0.7 (range 0.75-0.91) in all measurements. The critical phaseAIDS patients (with AIDS diagnosis and/or CD4 lymphocytes < 200 mm3) showed lower punctuations in all measurements except for mental health. Thirty-seven patients (14.2%) displayed new events to AIDS diagnosis and twenty-one died (8.1%). The severe immunodepresion (OR: 4.3; CI 95%: 1.6-11.8), previous AIDS diagnosis (OR: 3.4; CI 95%: 1.48.1), the physical function dimension in the SF-36 (OR: 0.3; CI 95%: 0.1-1.1) and the body pain (OR: 0.2; CI 95%: 0.1-0.8) were predictor factors to the progression-mortality of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: The SF-36 as a measure of the HRQL in HIV-infected population show a high internal consistency, that is able to discriminate patients with severe immunodepression and could help to predict more appropriately the progression of the disease.