Menopausal symptoms are associated with non-adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy in human immunodeficiency virus-infected middle-aged women.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between the intensity of menopausal symptoms and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) adherence in middle-aged women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 313 Peruvian women with HIV infection (age 40-59 years) were surveyed and classified as adherent or non-adherent to HAART based on the Antiretroviral Treatment Adherence Evaluation Questionnaire. The intensity of menopausal symptoms was assessed with the Menopause Rating Scale, and categorized as none, mild, moderate, and/or severe. Age, sexual orientation, used HAART scheme, time since HIV diagnosis, menopausal status, risk of depression, and presence of comorbidities were also assessed. Poisson generalized linear models with robust variance were performed in order to estimate crude prevalence ratios (PRs) and adjusted PRs using statistical (a1PR) and epidemiological criteria (a2PR).Results: A total of 19.9%, 32.6%, and 15.0% of all women presented mild, moderate, and severe menopausal symptoms, respectively. Overall, 70.6% women were non-adherent to HAART. The probability of non-adherence was higher in women with mild, moderate, and severe symptoms as compared to asymptomatic women in the non-adjusted model (PR: 1.79, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.39-2.29; PR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.38-2.23; and PR: 2.07, 95% CI: 1.64-2.61, respectively) and the adjusted model.Conclusion: The severity of menopausal symptoms was associated with HAART non-adherence in HIV-infected middle-aged women.

Knowledge of open angle glaucoma questionnaire: Design and validation in Spanish-speaking patients of Peru. / Conocimientos sobre glaucoma primario de ángulo abierto: diseño y validación de un cuestionario en pacientes hispanohablantes de Perú.

OBJECTIVE: To design and validate a questionnaire on the knowledge of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in Spanish-speaking patients. METHODS: An observational study was conducted on adults with diagnosis of POAG and who received outpatient medical care in a national reference health care institute of Peru. The questionnaire was based on a literature review and expert judgment. A pilot study was carried out on 60 patients. The items were classified and weighted according to the expert judgment. The final questionnaire was completed by 314 patients and its overall score was scaled by tertiles. RESULTS: A total of 72 items were found by primary searching. The initial questionnaire was made up of 20 items, which was tested in a pilot study. A total of 14 items were selected that were then classified into 3weighted domains: risk factors (10%), clinical aspects (36%), and treatment (54%). The questionnaire has a score range from 0 to 100 points (lowest to highest level). In patients, the mean score was 62.6±14.1. The overall score was classified into 3categories of knowledge level: low (0 to 55 points), medium (56 to 69 points), and high (70 to 100 points). CONCLUSIONS: The questionnaire provides evidence of validity to assess knowledge of POAG in Peruvian Spanish-speaking patients.