Quality of life in HIV-infected individuals receiving antiretroviral therapy is related to adherence

The Association Between Back Pain, Depression, and Quality of Life Among Older Adults Living with HIV in Rural Areas of the United States

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to assess prevalence of back pain among older people living with HIV (PLH) in rural areas of the United States (US); compare the presence of comorbidities, socioeconomic factors, and sociodemographic factors among older PLH in rural areas of the US with and without back pain; and examine the associations between back pain, depression, and QOL among older PLH in rural areas of the US.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data was collected among US rural dwelling PLH of at least 50 years of age. Multiple logistic regression was performed to examine the association between back pain and depression. Multiple linear regression was performed to assess the association between back pain and QOL.

RESULTS

A total of 38.8% (n = 164) of participants self-reported back pain. PLH with back pain were more likely to have depression (60.87%, n = 98). PLH with back pain had lower mean QOL scores (53.01 ± 18.39). Back pain was associated with greater odds of having depression (OR 1.61 [CI 0.99-2.61], p = .054) and was significantly associated with lower QOL (p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Prevention strategies to reduce back pain and poor HIV outcomes among PLH living in rural areas of the US are needed.

Effect of Combined HAART Plus ATT in Patients of Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis in HIV Patients and Effect on Quality of Life

HIV is a disease which reduces human resistant to fight. When our immunity becomes so weak that we are not able to fight even the common commensals of our body, this leads to what is called as an opportunistic infection. Tuberculosis is one of those most common type of opportunistic infection and in this pulmonary tuberculosis is more common. Extrapulmonary tuberculosis with HIV is the area of lesser research. In this study we tried to prove the Prevalence of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in AIDS patients and also the effect of combined HAART and ATT on prevalence of extrapulmonary tuberculosis and also its effect on Quality of life of the patient. This is a retrospective study conducted in a tertiary centre in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology & head and neck surgery from January 2020 to December 2020. A total of 80 patients were studied for 1 year. Confirmed cases of AIDS with extra pulmonary tuberculosis in head and neck region were studied, keeping all ethical issues in mind and after complete treatment of ATT along with HAART. After treatment, a significant number of patients got resolved with EPTB and gave positive response on their quality of life. Not only pulmonary tuberculosis, extrapulmonary tuberculosis with HIV is on the rise nowadays. Combined treatment of both can help in decreasing prevalence of extrapulmonary tuberculosis and improves quality of life.

Antiretroviral Therapy Concealment Behaviors and their Association with Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence among People with HIV: Findings from the Florida Cohort Study

Little is known about HIV medication concealment behaviors and the effect of medication concealment on antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among people with HIV (PWH). This study aims to (1) to describe medication concealment behaviors and factors associated with these behaviors, and (2) assess the association between medication concealment and suboptimal ART adherence. The Florida Cohort Study enrolled adult PWH from community-based clinics around the state from October 2020 to September 2022 (n = 416, 62% aged 50+, 56% male, 44% non-Hispanic Black, 18% Hispanic). Participants responded to questions about sociodemographics, stigma, ART adherence (≥ 85%), symptoms of depression, social networks and disclosure to their networks, and actions to conceal ART to avoid inadvertent disclosure of their HIV status. Analyses were conducted using multivariable logistic regressions models. The most common concealment behavior was hiding ART while having guests over (32%), followed by removing ART labels (26%), and putting ART into a different bottle (16%). Overall, 43% reported ≥ 1 behavior. In multivariable models, depressive symptoms, incomplete disclosure of HIV to close social networks, and not having a close social network were associated with ART concealment. After adjusting for risk factors for suboptimal ART adherence, endorsing hiding medication while having guests was associated with suboptimal ART adherence (aOR 2.87, 95% CI 1.15-7.55). Taking any action and other individual behaviors were not associated. ART concealment behaviors were common but did not consistently negatively influence adherence when accounting for other factors. PWH may want to receive ART medications in ways that ensure privacy and reduce the risk of inadvertent disclosure.

Enhancing quality of life and medication adherence for people living with HIV: the impact of an information system

BACKGROUND

The widespread availability of antiretroviral therapy has led to improvements in life expectancy and thus an increase in the number of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) worldwide. However, a similar increase in the number of newly-diagnosed patients in Cyprus suggests the need for solutions designed to improve monitoring, planning, and patient communication. In this study, we aimed to determine whether the use of an information system to manage PLWHA might contribute to improved quality of life and critical adherence to prescribed drug regimens and ongoing medical care.

METHODS

A randomized controlled trial study was conducted in Cyprus based on information that we collected using the highly valid and reliable Greek translation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Quality of Life (QOL) HIV-BREF questionnaire to assess sociodemographic variables and patient compliance. We distributed 200 questionnaires before implementing a Health Medical Care (HMC) information system at our clinic. Six months after implementing this system, 68 of the completed questionnaires were selected, including two groups of 34 participants who had been assigned at random to the intervention or the control group. Participants included PLWHA aged ≥ 18 years who had been receiving antiretroviral therapy for more than 12 months between July 15, 2020, and July 15, 2022.

RESULTS

The changes in baseline to six-month scores reported for the intervention group were significantly higher than in the control group in all six subscales assessed with the WHOQOL-HIV-BREF questionnaire, as well as in the assessment of compliance. Furthermore, compliance with treatment was associated with higher scores in the questionnaire subscales, including physical health, psychological health, degree of autonomy, social relationships, life circumstances, and spirituality/religious/personal beliefs. We also identified specific demographic factors and behaviors that were associated with better compliance with scheduled medical care and the prescribed drug regimen. Specifically, men exhibited better compliance than women and younger PLWHA exhibited better compliance than the elderly as did individuals who reported a higher level of educational attainment. Additionally, individuals who did not use addictive substances, consumed less alcohol, and were managed using the monitoring information system all exhibited better compliance compared to those in the control group.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study suggest that management of PLWHA via the use of an information system can contribute to improved QOL and drug compliance.

Cluster-Based Multinomial Logistic Regression Model for Health-Related Quality of Life Among People Living with HIV in Brazil

Improvement in treatment options has increased the survival of people living with HIV (PLHIV). Thus, we evaluated the factors associated with better health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among PLHIV in Brazil. This was a cross-sectional study carried out among 349 PLHIV. Data were collected using an interview-based questionnaire, and HRQoL was assessed by the Brazilian version of the WHOQOL HIV BREF instrument. We used non-hierarchical cluster analysis (K-means) to compile the WHOQOL HIV BREF's overall and domain scores into a unique more multidimensional measure for HRQoL consisting of three clusters: poor, fair and good; associations with clusters of better HRQoL were assessed using multinomial logistic regression models. The mean and median overall HRQoL scores were 15.13 (SD = 3.39) and 16, respectively. The reliability and validity of the Brazilian version of the WHOQOL HIV BREF instrument was confirmed among PLHIV in a non-metropolitan, medium-sized municipality of Brazil, which reaffirmed the cross-cultural validity of this instrument. The factors male sex; heterosexual and asexual orientations; higher individual income; undetectable viral load; absence of any comorbidity and presence of an infectious or a chronic comorbidity, with mental illness as the reference; and never having consumed illegal substances were independently associated with good HRQoL. Thus, the compilation of the WHOQOL HIV BREF's overall and domain scores into a unique multidimensional measure for HRQoL, which this study proposed for the first time, may facilitate more robust interpretations and models of predictors. These differentials could simplify HRQoL as an indicator of health and wellbeing to be routinely used as a key outcome in the clinical management of patients and in the global monitoring of health system responses to HIV.

Strategies of Managing Repeated Measures: Using Synthetic Random Forest to Predict HIV Viral Suppression Status Among Hospitalized Persons with HIV

The HIV/AIDS epidemic remains a major public health concern since the 1980s; untreated HIV infection has numerous consequences on quality of life. To optimize patients' health outcomes and to reduce HIV transmission, this study focused on vulnerable populations of people living with HIV (PLWH) and compared different predictive strategies for viral suppression using longitudinal or repeated measures. The four methods of predicting viral suppression are (1) including the repeated measures of each feature as predictors, (2) utilizing only the initial (baseline) value of the feature as predictor, (3) using the last observed value as the predictors and (4) using a growth curve estimated from the features to create individual-specific prediction of growth curves as features. This study suggested the individual-specific prediction of the growth curve performed the best in terms of lowest error rate on an independent set of test data.

Determinants of health-related quality of life in people with Human Immunodeficiency Virus, failing first-line treatment in Africa

BACKGROUND

Antiretroviral treatment improves health related quality of life (HRQoL) of people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH). However, one third initiating first-line treatment experience virological failure and the determinants of HRQoL in this key population are unknown. Our study aims to identify determinants of among PWH failing antiretroviral treatment in sub-Saharan Africa.

METHODS

We analysed data from a cohort of PWH having virological failure (> 1,000 copies/mL) on first-line ART in South Africa and Uganda. We measured HRQoL using the EuroQOL EQ-5D-3L and used a two-part regression model to obtain by-country analyses for South Africa and Uganda. The first part identifies risk factors that were associated with the likelihood of participants reporting perfect health (utility = 1) versus non-perfect health (utility < 1). The second part identifies risk factors that were associated with the EQ-5 L-3L utility scores for participants reporting non-perfect health. We performed sensitivity analyses to compare the results between the two-part model using tobit models and ordinary least squares regression.

RESULTS

In both countries, males were more likely to report perfect health and participants with at least one comorbidity were less likely to report perfect health. In South Africa, participants with side effects and in Uganda those with opportunistic infections were also less likely to report perfect health. In Uganda, participants with 100% ART adherence were more likely to report perfect health. In South Africa, high HIV viral load, experiencing ART side effects, and the presence of opportunistic infections were each associated with lower HRQoL, whereas participants with 100% ART adherence reported higher HRQoL. In Uganda participants with lower CD4 count had lower HRQoL.

CONCLUSION

Markers of advanced disease (opportunistic infection, high viral load, low CD4), side effects, comorbidities and lack of ART adherence negatively impacted HRQoL for PWH experiencing virological failure.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02787499.

Optimizing Antiretroviral Therapy in Heavily ART-Experienced Patients with Multi-Class Resistant HIV-1 Using Proviral DNA Genotypic Resistance Testing

Resistance to multiple antiretroviral drugs among people living with HIV (PLWH) can result in a high pill burden, causing toxicity and drug interactions. Thus, the goal is to simplify treatment regimens while maintaining effectiveness. However, former resistance analysis data may not be current or complete. The use of proviral DNA genotyping may assist in selecting appropriate treatment options. A retrospective study was carried out on individuals belonging to the Cologne HIV cohort with a resistance history to two or more antiretroviral (ARV) classes and on non-standard antiretroviral therapy (ART). Patients required former viral RNA and a recent proviral DNA resistance test to be available prior to the switch to ART. Potential discrepancies between resistance test results obtained through RNA and proviral DNA methods and the consequent virological and clinical outcomes following ART adjustments were analyzed. Out of 1250 patients, 35 were eligible for inclusion in this study. The median length of known HIV infection was 27 years, and the median duration of ART was 22 years. Of the 35 participants, 16 had received all five ARV classes. Based on proviral DNA genotyping results, ART was simplified in 17 patients. At the last follow-up examination after changing therapy, 15 patients had HIV RNA <50 copies/mL (median 202 days, range 21-636). The mean number of pills per day decreased from eight to three, and the median intake frequency decreased from two to one time/day (ranges 1-2). Our study supports the use of proviral DNA genotyping as a safe strategy for switching to simplified ART regimens. However, the lack of extensive research on the advantages of proviral DNA genotyping makes it challenging to fully assess its benefits in terms of treatment selection.

Transmission dynamics of a novel HIV/AIDS model through a higher-order Galerkin time discretization scheme

There are numerous contagious diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, that have the propensity to culminate in fatal consequences. A communicable disease is an illness caused by a contagion agent or its toxins and spread directly or indirectly to a susceptible animal or human host by an infected person, animal, vector, or immaterial environment. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, hepatitis A, B, and C, and measles are all examples of communicable diseases. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a communicable disease caused by HIV infection that has become the most severe issue facing humanity. The research work in this paper is to numerically explore a mathematical model and demonstrate the dynamics of HIV/AIDS disease transmission using a continuous Galerkin-Petrov time discretization of a higher-order scheme, specifically the cGP(2)-scheme. Depict a graphical and tabular comparison between the outcomes of the mentioned scheme and those obtained through other classical schemes that exist in the literature. Further, a comparison is performed relative to the well-known fourth-order Ruge-Kutta (RK4) method with different step sizes. By contrast, the suggested approach provided more accurate results with a larger step size than RK4 with a smaller step size. After validation and confirmation of the suggested scheme and code, we implement the method to the extended model by introducing a treatment rate and show the impact of various non-linear source terms for the generation of new cells. We also determined the basic reproduction number and use the Routh-Hurwitz criterion to assess the stability of disease-free and unique endemic equilibrium states of the HIV model.

Adherence to anti-retroviral therapy, decisional conflicts, and health-related quality of life among treatment-naïve individuals living with HIV: a DEARS-J observational study

BACKGROUND

Supporting people living with HIV using anti-retroviral therapy (ART) is important due to the requirement for strict medication adherence. To date, no data from longitudinal studies evaluating adherence by treatment-naïve people living with HIV are currently available. We investigated the adherence of treatment-naïve people living with HIV over time and examined the relationships among decisional conflicts, adherence, and health-related quality of life (HRQL).

METHODS

The survey items included adherence (visual analogue scale [VAS]), decisional conflict (decisional conflict scale [DCS]), and HRQL (Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey [MOS-HIV]). The DCS and MOS-HIV scores and the VAS and MOS scores were collected electronically at the ART initiation time point and at 4-, 24-, and 48-week post-treatment time points.

RESULTS

A total of 215 participants were enrolled. The mean DCS score was 27.3 (SD, 0.9); 23.3% of participants were in the high-score and 36.7% in the low-score groups. The mean adherence rates at 4, 24, and 48 weeks were 99.2% (standard error [SE], 0.2), 98.4% (SE, 0.4), and 96.0% (SE, 1.2), respectively. The least-square means of the MOS-HIV for the DCS (high vs. low scores) were 64.4 vs. 69.2 for general health perceptions and 57.7 vs. 64.0 for HRQL, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Adherence among treatment-naïve people living with HIV was maintained at a higher level, and HRQL tended to improve with ART. People with high levels of decisional conflict tended to have lower HRQL scores. Support for people living with HIV during ART initiation may be related to HRQL.

Factors associated with quality of life, depressive symptoms, and perceived stress among rural older adults living with HIV in the United States

PURPOSE

Rural older people living with HIV (PLH) in the United States are a population of growing size and significance. A better understanding of factors associated with quality of life (QOL), depressive symptoms, and stress in this population-especially modifiable factors-could inform future interventions.

METHODS

Online or on paper, we surveyed 446 PLH aged 50+ residing in rural counties across the United States (Mage = 56, 67% male, 67% White, and 23% Black). Associations between social support, HIV stigma, satisfaction with medical care, discrimination in health care settings, and structural barriers and health-related QOL, depressive symptoms, and perceived stress were assessed using multiple linear regressions.

FINDINGS

Controlling for demographics, greater social support was associated with better QOL, fewer depressive symptoms, and less stress. Greater HIV stigma was associated with more depressive symptoms and stress. Satisfaction with care was associated with better QOL and less stress. Discrimination in medical settings was associated with lower QOL and more depressive symptoms and stress. Finally, experiencing more structural barriers was associated with lower QOL and more depressive symptoms and stress.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to engagement in care and viral suppression, QOL and mental health are also critical considerations for rural older PLH. Increasing social support, reducing or providing skills to cope with HIV stigma, improving quality of care, reducing discrimination and stigma in medical settings, and reducing or mitigating the impact of structural barriers present potential targets for interventions aiming to improve the well-being of older rural PLH.

Prednisone for the prevention of tuberculosis-associated IRIS (randomized controlled trial): Impact on the health-related quality of life

Background

Tuberculosis-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (TB-IRIS) is an important complication in patients with HIV-associated tuberculosis (TB) starting antiretroviral treatment (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa. The PredART-trial recently showed that prophylactic prednisone reduces the incidence of paradoxical TB-IRIS by 30% in a population at high risk. This paper reports the impact of the intervention on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), a secondary endpoint of the trial, measured by an amended version of the PROQOL-HIV instrument—the instrument’s validity and reliability is also assessed.

Methods

A total of 240 adult participants (antiretroviral treatment (ART)-naïve, TB-HIV co-infected with CD4 count ≤100 cells/μL) were recruited and randomized (1:1) to (1) a prednisone arm or (2) a placebo arm. In this sub-study of the PredART-trial we evaluated (1) the performance of an HIV-specific HR-QoL instrument amended for TB-IRIS, i.e., the PROQOL-HIV/TB in patients with HIV-associated TB starting ART (reliability, internal and external construct validity and invariance across time) and (2) the impact of prednisone on self-reported HR-QoL in this population through mixed models.

Results

The PROQOL-HIV/TB scale displayed acceptable internal reliability and good internal and external validity. This instrument, including the factor structure with the eight sub-dimensions, can thus be applied for measuring HR-QoL among HIV-TB patients at high risk for TB-IRIS. Prophylactic prednisone was statistically significantly associated only with the ‘Physical Health and Symptoms’-subscale: a four-week course of prednisone resulted in an earlier improvement in the physical dimension of HR-QoL compared to placebo.

Conclusion

We demonstrated that the PROQOL-HIV/TB scale adequately measures different aspects of self-reported HR-QoL in HIV-TB patients. Although more research is needed to understand how other domains related to HR-QoL can be improved, targeting patients at high risk for developing TB-IRIS with a four-week course of prednisone has a beneficial effect on the physical aspects of patient-reported quality of life.

Real-world effectiveness and durability of dual antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected patients

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

While randomised controlled trials in HIV-infected patients have shown that certain dual antiretroviral therapy (DAT) regimens are non-inferior in terms of efficacy compared with classical triple-drug regimens, few real clinical experiences have been described. The aim of the study was to investigate, in real clinical practice, DAT effectiveness, durability, and risk factors for treatment discontinuation.

METHODS

This was a prospective cohort study that included HIV-infected patients treated with DAT (2015-2020). DAT was considered effective when patients achieved or maintained virological suppression and was assessed at 24 and 48 weeks. DAT durability was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Adherence and treatment cost were compared with patients' previous antiretroviral regimens.

RESULTS

51 patients were included, 27.5% with HIV-1 RNA ≥50 copies/mL at baseline, treated with a wide range of dual combinations. At 48 weeks follow-up, 83.8% and 50.0% of patients who started DAT with HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/mL and ≥50 copies/mL, respectively, were suppressed. 39 out of 51 patients (76.5%) maintained DAT for a mean treatment duration of 40.5±14.8 weeks. Full adherence was observed in 78.4% of patients compared with 70.2% in the previous regimen. Mean daily cost was €18.6±4.3 compared with €16.1±7.9 in the previous regimen (p=0.008).

CONCLUSION

DAT effectiveness and durability were higher in patients who were virologically suppressed at baseline. DAT is a possible alternative for virologically non-suppressed patients who cannot be treated with a triple-drug regimen.

HIV-associated painful neuropathy: where are we?

BACKGROUND

After the advent of combination antiretroviral therapy, infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) ceased to be a devastating disease, but sensory neuropathy resulting from the permanence of the virus and the side effects of treatment have worsened the morbidities of these patients.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the quality of life of 64 HIV-positive patients: 24 with painful neuropathy (case group) and 40 without painful neuropathy (control group). The impact of other factors on quality of life was also assessed.

METHODS

To assess painful neuropathy, the Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS) scale, Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4) questions and Neuropathy Disability Score (NDS) were used. The Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) scale was used to assess quality of life. Factors related or unrelated to HIV were obtained through the medical history and analysis on medical records.

RESULTS

The quality of life of patients with neuropathic pain was worse in six of the eight domains of the SF-36 scale. The number of clinical manifestations related to HIV, length of time with detectable viral load since diagnosis, length of time since the diagnosis of HIV infection and length of time of HAART use had a negative impact on quality of life. Higher levels of CD4, education and family income had a positive impact.

CONCLUSIONS

Painful neuropathy related to HIV is a factor that worsens the quality of life of patients infected with this virus and should be included in the clinical evaluation.

Quality of Life and Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence: A Cross-Sectional Study in Colombia

The introduction of highly active combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) has changed the management of HIV/AIDS, which is recognized as a chronic disease with relevant aspects, such as adherence and quality of life. This study aimed to compare clinical and demographic characteristics and health-related quality of life in people with adherence and non-adherence to cART. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 200 participants. The instruments used were the Adherence Follow-up Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey and the WHOQOL-HIV BREF. Poisson regression was applied to obtain estimates of adjusted prevalence ratios (PR_adj). Individuals lacking therapeutic support were more likely to be non-adherent than those with proper support (PR: 1.79). The health-related quality of life of individuals with non-adherence was 4% lower (PR = 0.96) in the general health domain than individuals with adherence. Non-adherence to cART was associated with lower quality of life in the general health domain and no therapeutic support.

Health related quality of life and its association with social support among people living with HIV/AIDS receiving antiretroviral therapy in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are frequently confronted with severe social issues such as rejection, abandonment, criticism, and stigma. This would negatively affect their quality of life. Several studies have been conducted so far to assess factors affecting the health-related quality of life among people living with HIV/AIDS who are on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Ethiopia. However, to our knowledge, there is no previous study that has summarized the results of the studies that investigated health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among PLWHA in Ethiopia. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to estimate the pooled prevalence of HRQOL and its association with social support among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) on ART in Ethiopia.

Methods

A systematic search was carried out using several electronic databases (PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, and Cochrane electronic), Google Scholar, Google, and a manual search of the literature on health-related quality of life among people living with HIV/AIDS who are on ART. A Microsoft Excel data extraction sheet was used to extract pertinent data from an individual study. To assess the heterogeneity of primary articles, the Cochrane Q test statistics and the I2 test were carried out, and a random effects meta-analysis was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of HRQOL.

Result

Out of the 493 articles reviewed, ten with a total of 3257 study participants were eligible for meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of HRQOL among people living with HIV/AIDS who are on antiretroviral therapy in Ethiopia was 45.27%. We found that strong perceived social support was significantly associated with higher levels of subjectively perceived HRQOL. PLWHA who were on ART and had good social support were four times more likely to report higher HRQOL when compared to their counterparts [AOR = 4.01, 95% CI 3.07–5.23].

Conclusion

A substantial number of PLWHA had poor HRQOL in Ethiopia. Social support was significantly associated with HRQOL among people living with HIV/AIDS. Hence, it’s recommended to encourage suitable intervention at every follow-up visit, and psycho-social support is also warranted to improve the quality of life.

Impact of HIV-associated cognitive impairment on functional independence, frailty and quality of life in the modern era: a meta-analysis

HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) is an important sequela of HIV infection. Combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) has improved the health outcomes of many people living with HIV but has given rise to a less severe but limiting form of HAND. The study aimed to evaluate the impact of HAND on medication adherence, activities of daily living (ADL), quality of life and frailty. This systematic review adheres to the guidelines for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. We searched MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, and PsycINFO online databases. Studies were included if they examined the relationship between HAND and medication adherence, ADL, quality of life and frailty, and were conducted between 1997 and 2021. We used a random-effects meta-analysis model to assess the impact of HAND on outcome variables. Forty papers, totaling 11,540 participants, were included in the narrative and quantitative syntheses. Cognitive impairment was associated with poorer medication adherence (r = 0.601, CI 0.338 to 0.776, p = 0.001, I² = 94.66). Cognitive impairment did not influence ADL (r = 0.167, CI-0.215 to 0.505, p = 0.393) and quality of life (r = 0.244, CI 0.117 to 0.548, p = 0.182). In the cART era, HAND appears to be associated with adherence to medication, which may influence future health outcomes. In PLWHIV who are adherent to cART, cognitive impairment does not appear to interfere with ADL and quality of life.

On fractional numerical simulation of HIV infection for CD8+ T-cells and its treatment

The AIDS is a chronic disease and the researchers still exert their high efforts to reach the cure of HIV infection. The most common treatment is the antiretroviral therapy (cART) and the virus can be more effected if the patients stop using cART. The other problem is that the CD8+ T cells might be exhausted by persistent immune activation by cART. This paper introduces fractional-order into a mathematical model of HIV infection combining with stem cell therapy and control the infection by the immune system cells (CD8+ T cells). The paper introduced the numerical solutions for the mathematical model. The results show that the stem cell therapy with the activation of immune system cells might causes the cure for a HIV patient. This results are consistent with medical studies. Also, we proposed the effect of the fractional order (α) on the figures of the components.

Patterns of mental health symptoms among women living with HIV ages 45-60 in England: associations with demographic and clinical factors

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to describe the prevalence of various mental health symptoms according to menopausal status (pre, peri, post) among women living with HIV ages 45-60 in England, and to identify groups of women with similar general and menopause-related mental health symptoms. We then investigated demographic predictors of group-membership and group differences in HIV-related care outcomes (antiretroviral therapy adherence, HIV clinic attendance, CD4-count, and last HIV viral load).

METHODS

An analysis of cross-sectional data from the Positive Transitions through Menopause study, an observational study of the health and well-being impacts of menopause on 869 women with HIV aged 45-60 years. Self-reported data on eight mental health indicators were collected from women in pre-, peri- and post-menopausal state using validated measures. Groups (termed "classes") of women with similar mental health symptoms were derived via latent class analysis. Class membership was linked to demographic factors using nominal logistic regression, and to clinical outcomes using Wald tests.

RESULTS

We identified five classes: 1) few mental health symptoms (n = 501, 57.8%); 2) high current anxiety/depression (n = 120, 13.8%); 3) history of depression, with elevated current substance use (n = 40, 4.6%); 4) history of depression with current psychological menopause symptoms (n = 81, 9.3%); and 5) high previous and concurrent mental health problems (n = 125, 14.4%). University attendance, ethnicity, and longer time since HIV diagnosis predicted class membership. Antiretroviral therapy adherence was lower in classes 3 (11%), 4 (19%) and 5 (24%) compared to class 1 (4%; all P<0.001). Members of class 5 were more likely to have missed ≥1 HIV clinic appointment in the past year than those in class 1 (34% vs 17%, P = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

Women with a history of depression, current anxiety/depression, and current menopause-related mental health symptoms were more likely to have poorer clinical outcomes. Although we cannot comment on causality, our findings highlight the importance of assessing and managing menopausal symptoms and mental health to improve well-being and engagement in HIV care.

Assessment of self-reported adherence to ART and patient's virological/CD4 response in a tertiary care clinic and government free ART clinic

Introduction

Treatment adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) is critical in reducing morbidity, mortality, and improving the survival in HIV patients. ART is a life-long commitment, and the variety of factors can influence treatment adherence. We studied the factors affecting treatment adherence in the private sector and public sector outdoor clinic in Ahmedabad, India. The primary objective of this study is to compare the level of adherence and factors that influence adherence to ART in patients attending government run free ART program and private setup.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 8 weeks among HIV-infected patients who were receiving ART from private clinic and free ART center from July 2019 to September 2019. We enrolled all consecutive patients >18 years of age attending both clinics. Statistical analysis was carried out using the SPSS software version 25.0. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify the factors that were independently associated with adherence to ART.

Results

The study enrolled 306 patients, 151 (49.34%) from the outpatient department of private hospital, and 155 (50.65%) from the free ART center. Patients attending private clinics were more likely to have been diagnosed with HIV since ≥10 years compared to free ART center. Higher opportunistic infection rates were found in free ART center (64.51%). Treatment adherence was significantly lower in the patients attending free ART center (P = 0.004). Patients taking concomitant medications for other comorbid conditions (≥4 pills/day) were more likely to exhibit inadequate adherence ([odds ratio] 1.216, 95% confidence interval 1.0171-1.454). Univariate analysis showed that age, education, habits of alcohol, tobacco, number of pills, and duration of disease played a significant role in predicting adherence to ART (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Patients attending private clinic are surviving longer with HIV diagnosis, have fewer opportunistic infections, and have better treatment adherence compared to free ART clinic.

Adherence to antiretroviral therapy mediates the link between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and health-related quality of life

Human immunodeficiency virus is one of the trauma-inducing chronic illnesses with attendant-negative impact on health-related quality of life. Substantial literature exists on the association of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and health-related quality of life among people living with human immunodeficiency virus, but little is known about the pathways explaining this link. This study therefore examined the mediating role of adherence to antiretroviral therapy in the association between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and health-related quality of life among people living with human immunodeficiency virus. Nine hundred and sixty-nine people living with human immunodeficiency virus in Nigeria who were on antiretroviral therapy completed measures of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, adherence to antiretroviral therapy, and health-related quality of life. Hayes PROCESS macro for SPSS was used to analyse the data. Adherence to antiretroviral therapy mediated the association between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and health-related quality of life in the relationship and treatment impact domains, implying that poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy is a pathway through which posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms exert negative influence on health-related quality of life of people living with human immunodeficiency virus. Interventions aimed at reducing the impact of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms on quality of life of people living with human immunodeficiency virus should focus on improving clients’ level of adherence to antiretroviral therapy treatment.

Stronger Together: Results from a Randomized Controlled Efficacy Trial of a Dyadic Intervention to Improve Engagement in HIV Care Among Serodiscordant Male Couples in Three US Cities

Engagement in HIV care and a high level of antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence for people living with HIV is crucial to treatment success and can minimize the population burden of the disease. Despite this, there is a critical gap in HIV prevention science around the development of interventions for serodiscordant male couples. This paper reports on the results of a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of Stronger Together, a dyadic counseling intervention aimed at increasing engagement in and optimizing HIV care among serodiscordant male couples in Atlanta, GA, Boston, MA, and Chicago, IL. Between 2014 and 2017, 159 male serodiscordant couples (total N = 318) in Atlanta, GA, Boston, MA, and Chicago, IL were enrolled and equally randomized to either the Stronger Together intervention arm (a three-session dyadic intervention involving HIV testing and adherence counseling) or a standard of care (SOC) control arm. Couples completed individual study assessments via an audio computer assisted self-interviewing (ACASI) system at baseline, 6, 12 and 18 months. Primary outcomes included being prescribed and currently taking ART, and fewer missed doses of ART in the past 30 days; because the trial was not powered to examine viral suppression, we examined this as an exploratory outcome. Longitudinal data analysis was by an intention-to-treat approach. Participants ages ranged from 18 to 69 (mean = 35.9), and are predominantly white (77.5%), and college educated (68.4% earned a college degree or higher). Participants randomized to the Stronger Together arm had a significantly greater odds of being prescribed and currently taking ART over time than those in the SOC arm (at 12 months OR 2.75, 95%CI 1.35-4.67, p-value 0.020, and at 18 months OR 2.91, 95%CI 1.61-4.88, p-value 0.013). Similarly, those in the Stronger Together arm had a significantly lower odds of missing a dose of ART in the past 30 days over time compared to those in the SOC arm (at 12 months OR 0.28, 95%CI 0.09-0.81, p-value 0.019, and at 18 months OR 0.25, 95%CI 0.07-0.82, p-value 0.023). Among male couples in serodiscordant relationships, the Stronger Together intervention resulted in significantly improved HIV treatment outcomes at both 12 and 18 months of follow-up. This trial is the first to date to demonstrate evidence of efficacy for a dyadic counseling intervention and has the potential to fill a critical gap in secondary HIV prevention interventions for serodiscordant male couples.

Evaluation of the Sociodemographic, Behavioral and Clinical Influences on Complete Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among HIV-Infected Adults Receiving Medical Care in Houston, Texas

Introduction

Few studies have estimated complete antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence following HIV infection since the advent of the new ART guidelines in 2012. This study determined the prevalence and influence of sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical factors on complete ART adherence among people living with HIV (PLWH) receiving medical care in Houston/Harris County, Texas.

Methods

Data from the Houston Medical Monitoring Project survey collected from 2009 to 2014 among 1073 participants were used in this study. The primary outcome evaluated was combined adherence, defined as complete, partial, and incomplete combined adherence based on three ART adherence types—dose, schedule, and instruction adherence. The duration living since initial HIV diagnosis was classified as <5, 5–10 and >10 years. Rao–Scott Chi-square test and multivariable proportional-odds cumulative logit regression models were employed to identify the sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics of complete combined adherence among the three groups of PLWH living with HIV infection.

Results

More than one-half (54.4%) of PLWH had complete, 37.4% had partial, and 8.3% had incomplete combined adherence. Among these PLWH, 52.2% had been infected with HIV for >10 years, and 26.5% and 21.4% were infected for <5 years and 5–10 years, respectively. PLWH who were diagnosed <5 and 5–10 years were two times (aOR=1.71, 95% CI=1.13–2.57; aOR=1.69, 95% CI=1.10–2.59; respectively) more likely to experience complete combined adherence than those with >10 years of infection. Multiple sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics were significantly associated with complete adherence and varied by the duration of HIV infection.

Conclusion

Measures of adherence should include all adherence types (dose, schedule, instruction), as utilizing a single adherence type will overestimate adherence level in PLWH receiving medical care. Intervention efforts to maintain adherence should target recently infected PLWH, while those aimed at improving adherence should focus on longer infected PLWH.

Evaluation of quality of life and associated factors among HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy in North West region of Cameroon

BACKGROUND

There is evidence that Quality of Life (QoL) of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) has a significant role in ART retention, treatment adherence, and survival. As a result, QoL is becoming increasingly important for policymakers, program implementers, and researchers. However, factors associated with QoL, in a culturally diverse country like Cameroon are unknown.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to assess the QoL of PLHIV on ART and assess the extent to which physical, psychosocial, environmental, and spiritual factors drive QoL.

METHOD

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 394 PLHIV aged >21 in North-West Cameroon from April to July 2019. Data were collected using WHO-QOL BREF questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, bivariate, and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed.

RESULTS

Majority (34.5%) of participants were in the age range of 41-50, with 73% females. The average QoL of the respondents was "good" with mean score of 3.57 on 5 and 71.4% agreed to have satisfactory QoL. Bivariate regression analyses revealed that all six proposed predictors were significantly associated with QoL. Psychological factors made the greatest impact (β = 0.213; p<0.003), followed by physical factors (β = 0.19; p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

PLHIV fairly agreed to have good QoL. The QoL was driven by mainly psychological and physical factors and not level of independence. However, the mean score perceptions for the investigated domains were low. Mental health services should consider these predictors when designing strategies to improve the QoL of PLHIV. While this study provides useful insights, other possible drivers of QoL among PLHIV should be investigated.

An Interactive Voice Response Software to Improve the Quality of Life of People Living With HIV in Uganda: Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

Following the successful scale-up of antiretroviral therapy (ART), the focus is now on ensuring good quality of life (QoL) and sustained viral suppression in people living with HIV. The access to mobile technology in the most burdened countries is increasing rapidly, and therefore, mobile health (mHealth) technologies could be leveraged to improve QoL in people living with HIV. However, data on the impact of mHealth tools on the QoL in people living with HIV are limited to the evaluation of SMS text messaging; these are infeasible in high-illiteracy settings.

Objective

The primary and secondary outcomes were to determine the impact of interactive voice response (IVR) technology on Medical Outcomes Study HIV QoL scores and viral suppression at 12 months, respectively.

Methods

Within the Call for Life study, ART-experienced and ART-naïve people living with HIV commencing ART were randomized (1:1 ratio) to the control (no IVR support) or intervention arm (daily adherence and pre-appointment reminders, health information tips, and option to report symptoms). The software evaluated was Call for Life Uganda, an IVR technology that is based on the Mobile Technology for Community Health open-source software. Eligibility criteria for participation included access to a phone, fluency in local languages, and provision of consent. The differences in differences (DIDs) were computed, adjusting for baseline HIV RNA and CD4.

Results

Overall, 600 participants (413 female, 68.8%) were enrolled and followed-up for 12 months. In the intervention arm of 300 participants, 298 (99.3%) opted for IVR and 2 (0.7%) chose SMS text messaging as the mode of receiving reminders and health tips. At 12 months, there was no overall difference in the QoL between the intervention and control arms (DID=0.0; P=.99) or HIV RNA (DID=0.01; P=.94). At 12 months, 124 of the 256 (48.4%) active participants had picked up at least 50% of the calls. In the active intervention participants, high users (received >75% of reminders) had overall higher QoL compared to low users (received <25% of reminders) (92.2 versus 87.8, P=.02). Similarly, high users also had higher QoL scores in the mental health domain (93.1 versus 86.8, P=.008) and better appointment keeping. Similarly, participants with moderate use (51%-75%) had better viral suppression at 12 months (80/94, 85% versus 11/19, 58%, P=.006).

Conclusions

Overall, there was high uptake and acceptability of the IVR tool. While we found no overall difference in the QoL and viral suppression between study arms, people living with HIV with higher usage of the tool showed greater improvements in QoL, viral suppression, and appointment keeping. With the declining resources available to HIV programs and the increasing number of people living with HIV accessing ART, IVR technology could be used to support patient care. The tool may be helpful in situations where physical consultations are infeasible, including the current COVID epidemic.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02953080; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02953080

Self-rated health among people living with HIV in Spain in 2019: a cross-sectional study

Background

HIV infection has become a chronic disease and well-being of people living with HIV (PLHIV) is now of particular concern. The objectives of this paper were to describe self-rated health among PLHIV, on ART and on ART virally suppressed and to analyse its determinants.

Methods

Data were obtained from a second-generation surveillance system based on a cross-sectional one-day survey in public hospitals. Epidemiological and clinical data were collected among HIV-infected inpatients and outpatients receiving HIV-related care the day of the survey in 86 hospitals in 2019. Self-rated health was measured using a question included in the National Health Survey: “In the last 12 months, how would you rate your health status?” an ordinal variable with five categories (very good, good, moderate, bad and very bad). For the analysis, these responses were dichotomized into two categories: 1 = very good/good and 0 = moderate, bad or very bad health status. Factors associated with very good/good self-rated health were estimated using logistic regression.

Results

Of 800 PLHIV, 67.5% perceived their health as very good/good, 68.4% among PLHIV on ART and 71.7% of those virally suppressed. Having university education (adjusted odds ratio (aOR):2.1), being unemployed (aOR:0.3) or retired (aOR:0.2), ever being diagnosed of AIDS (aOR:0.6), comorbidities (aOR:0.3), less than 2 year since HIV diagnosis (aOR:0.3) and not receiving ART (aOR:0.3) were associated with good self-rated health. Moreover, among PLHIV on ART, viral load less than 200 copies (aOR:3.2) were related to better perceived health. Bad adherence was inversely associated with good self-rated health among PLHIV on ART (aOR:0.5) and of those virally suppressed (aOR:0.4).

Conclusions

Nearly seven in 10 PLHIV in Spain considered their health status as very good/good, being higher among virally suppressed PLHIV. Both demographic and clinical determinants affect quality of life.

Feasibility of Four Interventions to Improve Treatment Adherence in Migrants Living with HIV in The Netherlands

We evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of four existing interventions to improve adherence to them in migrants living with HIV (MLWH): directly administered antiretroviral therapy (DAART), group medical appointments (GMA), early detection and treatment of psychological distress, and peer support by trained MLWH. At baseline and after the interventions, socio-demographic characteristics, psychosocial variables, and data on HIV treatment adherence were collected. The two questionnaires were completed by 234/301 (78%) MLWH included at baseline. Detectable HIV RNA decreased (from 10.3 to 6.8%) as did internalized HIV-related stigma (from 15 to 14 points), and self-reported adherence increased (between 5.5 and 8.3%). DAART and GMA were not feasible interventions. Screening of psychological distress was feasible; however, follow-up diagnostic screening and linkage to psychiatric services were not. Peer support for and by MLWH was feasible. Within this small intervention group, results on HIV RNA < 400 copies/mL (decrease of 23.6%) and outpatient clinic attendance (up to 20.4% kept more appointments) were promising.

Social Support Mitigates Negative Impact of Food Insecurity on Antiretroviral Adherence Among Postpartum Women in Western Kenya

Food insecurity (FI), low social support, and low health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are associated with self-reported nonadherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) among postpartum women, but these relationships have not been evaluated using objective adherence indicators. Hair samples were therefore analyzed among 83 postpartum Kenyan women living with HIV on efavirenz and nevirapine ART drug regimens in an observational cohort (NCT02974972). FI (0-27), social support (0-40), and HRQoL (8-40) in the prior month were also assessed. In multivariable models, each point increase in FI and decrease in HRQoL were associated with a 45.1% (95% CI: -64.3%, -15.6%) and 10.5% decrease (95% CI: 1.0%, 22.1%) in hair ART drug concentrations respectively, when social support was held constant. A significant interaction between social support and FI (β = 0.02, p = 0.017) indicated that greater social support was predicted to mitigate the negative impacts of FI on ART adherence. Addressing these modifiable barriers could improve ART adherence during this critical period.

A discrete choice experiment to assess patients' preferences for HIV treatment in the rural population in Colombia

Aim: To elicit patients' preferences for HIV treatment of the rural population in Colombia.Methods: A discrete choice experiment (DCE), conducted in a HIV clinic in Bogotá, was used to examine the trade-off between five HIV treatment attributes: effect on life expectancy, effect on physical activity, risk of moderate side-effects, accessibility to clinic, and economic costs to access controls. Attributes selection was based on literature review, expert consultation and a focus group with six patients. An efficient experimental design was used to define two versions of the questionnaire with each of 12 choice sets and a dominance task was added to check reliability. A mixed logit model was then used to analyse the data and sub-group analyses were conducted on the basis of age, gender, education, and sexual preference.Results: A total of 129 HIV patients were included for analysis. For all treatment attributes, significant differences between at least two levels were observed, meaning that all attributes were significant predictors of choice. Patients valued the effect on physical activity (conditional relative importance of 27.5%) and the effect on life expectancy (26.0%) the most. Sub-group analyses regard age and education showed significant differences: younger patients and high educated patients valued the effect on physical activity the most important, whereas older patients mostly valued the effect on life expectancy and low educated patients mostly valued the accessibility to clinic.Limitations: One potential limitation is selection bias, as only patients from one HIV clinic were reached. Additionally, questionnaires were partly administered in the waiting rooms, which potentially led to noise in the data.Conclusions: This study suggests that all HIV treatment characteristics included in this DCE were important and that HIV patients from rural Colombia valued short-term efficacy (i.e. effect on physical activity) and long-term efficacy (i.e. effect on life expectancy) the most.

Methadone Inhibits Viral Restriction Factors and Facilitates HIV Infection in Macrophages

Opioid abuse alters the functions of immune cells in both in vitro and in vivo systems, including macrophages. Here, we investigated the effects of methadone, a widely used opioid receptor agonist for treatment of opiate addiction, on the expression of intracellular viral restriction factors and HIV replication in primary human macrophages. We showed that methadone enhanced the HIV infectivity in primary human macrophages. Mechanistically, methadone treatment of macrophages reduced the expression of interferons (IFN-β and IFN-λ2) and the IFN-stimulated anti-HIV genes (APOBEC3F/G and MxB). In addition, methadone-treated macrophages showed lower levels of several anti-HIV microRNAs (miRNA-28, miR-125b, miR-150, and miR-155) compared to untreated cells. Exogenous IFN-β treatment restored the methadone-induced reduction in the expression of the above genes. These effects of methadone on HIV and the antiviral factors were antagonized by pretreatment of cells with naltrexone. These findings provide additional evidence to support further studies on the role of opiates, including methadone, in the immunopathogenesis of HIV disease.

Modeling Viral Suppression, Viral Rebound and State-Specific Duration of HIV Patients with CD4 Count Adjustment: Parametric Multistate Frailty Model Approach

INTRODUCTION

Combination antiretroviral therapy has become the standard care of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients and has further led to a dramatically decreased progression probability to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) for patients under such a therapy. However, responses of the patients to this therapy have recorded heterogeneous complexity and high dynamism. In this paper, we simultaneously model long-term viral suppression, viral rebound, and state-specific duration of HIV-infected patients.

METHODS

Full-parametric and semi-parametric Markov multistate models were applied to assess the effects of covariates namely TB co-infection, educational status, marital status, age, quality of life (QoL) scores, white and red blood cell parameters, and liver enzyme abnormality on long-term viral suppression, viral rebound and state-specific duration for HIV-infected individuals before and after treatment. Furthermore, two models, one including and another excluding the effect of the frailty, were presented and compared in this study.

RESULTS

Results from the diagnostic plots, Akaike information criterion (AIC) and likelihood ratio test showed that the Weibull multistate frailty model fitted significantly better than the exponential and semi-parametric multistate models. Viral rebound was found to be significantly associated with many sex partners, higher eosinophils count, younger age, lower educational level, higher monocyte counts, having abnormal neutrophils count, and higher liver enzyme abnormality. Furthermore, viral suppression was also found to be significantly associated with higher QoL scores, and having a stable sex partner. The analysis result also showed that patients with a stable sex partner, higher educational levels, higher QoL scores, lower eosinophils count, lower monocyte counts, and higher RBC indices were more likely to spend more time in undetectable viral load state.

CONCLUSIONS

To achieve and maintain the UNAIDS 90% suppression targets, additional interventions are required to optimize antiretroviral therapy outcomes, specifically targeting those with poor clinical characteristics, lower education, younger age, and those with many sex partners. From a methodological perspective, the parametric multistate approach with frailty is a flexible approach for modeling time-varying variables, allowing for dealing with heterogeneity between the sequence of transitions, as well as allowing for a reasonable degree of flexibility with a few additional parameters, which then aids in gaining a better insight into how factors change over time.

Personal Approach to Treatment Choices for HIV (PATCH): Randomized Controlled Trial of a Brief Motivational Enhancement Intervention to Improve Medication Adherence in Persons with HIV

This pilot randomized controlled trial evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of a brief motivational enhancement intervention to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy in persons with HIV called Personal Approach to Treatment Choices for HIV (PATCH). We compared PATCH to an active control condition on self-reported adherence, clinical outcomes, and psychosocial outcomes. Participants were 34 individuals (61.8% male, M_age = 47.1) receiving HIV-related services who were suboptimally engaged in care. Participants completed baseline measures, participated in either PATCH or a stress reduction skills control intervention, and completed post-treatment and 3-month follow-up assessments. Results revealed no differences between conditions on adherence or clinical outcomes. At post-treatment, PATCH participants reported greater improvements in alcohol use, psychiatric symptoms, subjective mental functioning, and emotion-focused coping; improvements in subjective mental functioning were maintained at 3-months. Results suggest that motivational enhancement interventions can improve psychosocial outcomes for people with HIV. That some improvements were not maintained at follow-up suggests that effects wane over time and longer treatment may be indicated for lasting effects.

"Worn out": Coping strategies for managing antiretroviral treatment fatigue among urban people of color living with HIV who were recently disengaged from outpatient HIV care

Antiretroviral-related treatment fatigue is inconsistently defined in the literature on barriers to ART adherence. Research suggests that treatment fatigue is a salient challenge for people struggling with antiretroviral therapy adherence, but little is known about how people living with HIV attempt to manage this fatigue. Twenty-seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with low-income people of color living with HIV in NYC that were currently, or recently, disengaged from HIV care. The findings from this exploratory study suggest that treatment fatigue was common and that participants devised personal strategies to overcome it. These strategies included using reminder programs, requesting weekly rather than monthly pill quantities, and taking "pill holidays". The varied nature- and varying levels of effectiveness- of these strategies highlight the need for specific programming to provide tailored support. Future research should examine treatment fatigue as a specific subtype of adherence challenge, and aim to define pill fatigue clearly.

Effectiveness of an Intervention for Improving Treatment Adherence, Service Utilization and Viral Load Among HIV-Positive Adult Alcohol Users

This study evaluates whether a group intervention that included cognitive remediation improved ART adherence, service utilization, and viral load among HIV-positive adults with a history of alcohol abuse. HIV-seropositive adults (n = 243), recruited from community-based organizations were randomized to the Holistic Health Recovery Program (HHRP-A) or a comparison condition. Both conditions included eight group sessions; outcomes (adherence, service utilization, and viral load) and processes (social support and stress) were measured. Data were collected at baseline, immediately post-intervention, 3 months, and 6 months follow-up. Participants were ≥ 18 and ≤ 60 ([Formula: see text] years old), 71% male, and 79.6% black. Participants randomized to HHRP-A were more likely to report adequate ART adherence and to report an undetectable viral load at 6 months post-intervention. Participants in the HHRP-A condition showed significantly greater improvement in social support than the comparison group. Providing comprehensive health promotion interventions that incorporate cognitive remediation strategies, could improve health outcomes for HIV-positive substance users.

Reliability, validity and measurement invariance of the Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire (SMAQ) among HIV-positive women in Ethiopia: a quasi-experimental study

BACKGROUND

Adherence to antiretroviral therapy is critical to the achievement of the third target of the UNAIDS Fast-Track Initiative goals of 2020-2030. Reliable, valid and accurate measurement of adherence are important for correct assessment of adherence and in predicting the efficacy of ART. The Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire is a six-item scale which assesses the perception of persons living with HIV about their adherence to ART. Despite recent widespread use, its measurement properties have yet to be carefully documented beyond the original study in Spain. The objective of this paper was to conduct internal consistency reliability, concurrent validity and measurement invariance tests for the SMAQ.

METHODS

HIV-positive women who were receiving ART services from 51 service providers in two sub-cities of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia completed the SMAQ in a HIV treatment referral network study between 2011 and 2012. Two cross-sections of 402 and 524 female patients of reproductive age, respectively, from the two sub-cities were randomly selected and interviewed at baseline and follow-up. We used Cronbach's coefficient alpha (α) to assess internal consistency reliability, Pearson product-moment correlation (r) to assess concurrent validity and multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis to analyze factorial structure and measurement invariance of the SMAQ.

RESULTS

All participants were female with a mean age of 33; median: 34 years; range 18-45 years. Cronbach's alphas for the six items of the SMAQ were 0.66, 0.68, 0.75 and 0.75 for T1 control, T1 intervention, T2 control, and T2 intervention groups, respectively. Pearson correlation coefficients were 0.78, 0.49, 0.52, 0.48, 0.76 and 0.80 for items 1 to 6, respectively, between T1 compared to T2. We found invariance for factor loadings, observed item intercepts and factor variances, also known as strong measurement invariance, when we compared latent adherence levels between and across patient-groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show that the six-item SMAQ scale has adequate reliability and validity indices for this sample, in addition to being invariant across comparison groups. The findings of this study strengthen the evidence in support of the increasing use of SMAQ by interventionists and researchers to examine, pool and compare adherence scores across groups and time periods.

Multivariate multilevel modeling of quality of life dynamics of HIV infected patients

BACKGROUND

Longitudinal quality of life (QoL) is an important outcome in many chronic illness studies aiming to evaluate the efficiency of care both at the patient and health system level. Although many QoL studies involve multiple correlated hierarchical outcome measures, very few of them use multivariate modeling. In this work, we modeled the long-term dynamics of QoL scores accounting for the correlation between the QoL scores in a multilevel multivariate framework and to compare the effects of covariates across the outcomes.

METHODS

The data is from an ongoing prospective cohort study conducted amongst adult women who were HIV-infected and on the treatment in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. Independent and related QoL outcome multivariate multilevel models were presented and compared.

RESULTS

The analysis showed that related outcome multivariate multilevel models fit better for our data used. Our analyses also revealed that higher educational levels, middle age, stable sex partners and higher weights had a significant effect on better improvements in the rate of change of QoL scores of HIV infected patients. Similarly, patients without TB co-infection, without thrombocytopenia, with lower viral load, with higher CD4 cell count levels, with higher electrolytes component score, with higher red blood cell (RBC) component score and with lower liver abnormality component score, were associated with significantly improved the rate of change of QoL, amongst HIV infected patients.

CONCLUSION

It is hoped that the article will help applied researchers to familiarize themselves with the models and including interpretation of results. Furthermore, three issues are highlighted: model building of multivariate multilevel outcomes, how this model can be used to assess multivariate assumptions, involving fixed effects (for example, to examine the size of the covariate effect varying across QoL domain scores) and random effects (for example, to examine the rate of change in one response variable associated to changes in the other).

Cost-effectiveness and Cost-utility of the Adherence Improving Self-management Strategy in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Care: A Trial-based Economic Evaluation

Background

Several promising human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment adherence interventions have been identified, but data about their cost-effectiveness are lacking. This study examines the trial-based cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of the proven-effective Adherence Improving Self-Management Strategy (AIMS), from a societal perspective, with a 15-month time horizon.

Methods

Treatment-naive and treatment-experienced patients at risk for viral rebound were randomized to treatment as usual (TAU) or AIMS in a multicenter randomized controlled trial in the Netherlands. AIMS is a nurse-led, 1-on-1 self-management intervention incorporating feedback from electronic medication monitors, delivered during routine clinical visits. Main outcomes were costs per reduction in log10 viral load, treatment failure (2 consecutive detectable viral loads), and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs).

Results

Two hundred twenty-three patients were randomized. From a societal perspective, AIMS was slightly more expensive than TAU but also more effective, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of €549 per reduction in log10 viral load and €1659 per percentage decrease in treatment failure. In terms of QALYs, AIMS resulted in higher costs but more QALYs compared to TAU, which resulted in an ICER of €27759 per QALY gained. From a healthcare perspective, AIMS dominated TAU. Additional sensitivity analyses addressing key limitations of the base case analyses also suggested that AIMS dominates TAU.

Conclusions

Base case analyses suggests that over a period of 15 months, AIMS may be costlier, but also more effective than TAU. All additional analyses suggest that AIMS is cheaper and more effective than TAU. This trial-based economic evaluation confirms and complements a model-based economic evaluation with a lifetime horizon showing that AIMS is cost-effective.

Clinical Trials Registration

NCT01429142.

Does switching from multiple to single-tablet regimen containing the same antiretroviral drugs improve adherence? A group-based trajectory modeling analysis

Combination Antiretroviral Therapy (cART) in single-tablet regimens (STR) is a simplification strategy that can potentially improve medication adherence and clinical outcomes. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 1206 patients using efavirenz, tenofovir and lamivudine in multiple-tablet regimen who switched to the STR containing the same active ingredients in a southeast metropolis in Brazil. We measured adherence using the proportion of days covered (PDC≥95%) and evaluated this outcome before and after the switch using paired non-parametric statistics. Additionally, we used group-based trajectory modeling to identify adherence patterns to cART for each period and evaluate the migration behavior of patients between the trajectory groups. We observed a 14% increase in the proportion of adherent patients after switching to STR and a 6.2% increase in the proportion of patients with CD4 count>500 cells/μl (p < 0.001), without changes in viral load outcomes. We identified four adherence trajectories in each period. Most patients (60%, n = 722) migrated towards a group with better adherence trajectory or remained in the trajectory group with the highest probability of adherence after the switch. Our findings suggest that the implementation of the STR had a positive impact on adherence and CD4 count. This may potentially improve virologic outcomes later on treatment.

Effectiveness of interventions targeting self-regulation to improve adherence to chronic disease medications: a meta-review of meta-analyses

Adherence to chronic disease medication regimens depends in part on successful self-regulation. However, the overall benefit of interventions targeting self-regulatory mechanisms is not well-understood. Accordingly, we conducted a meta-review of meta-analyses assessing the effect of interventions targeting self-regulation on medication adherence. For this meta-review, meta-analyses appearing between January 2006 and March 2019 were eligible if they included experimental trials that assessed the effect of an intervention targeting self-regulation on adherence to chronic disease medication. A systematic literature search of multiple databases for published and unpublished literature identified 16,001 abstracts. Twelve meta-analyses met eligibility criteria and had variable quality according to AMSTAR 2 item completion (M = 50%; range: 31-66%). Overall, meta-reviews showed small to medium effect sizes for interventions that targeted self-monitoring, provided personalised feedback on adherence, or involved complete self-management. Other interventions, such as goal setting, barrier identification and problem solving, and stress management showed little evidence of improving adherence. Only a limited number of self-regulation intervention components were able to be evaluated. Additional research is needed to advance the understanding of the efficacy of adherence interventions focussed on self-regulation by expanding the scope of self-regulation elements targeted (e.g., emotion regulation).

Adherence to antiretroviral treatment and quality of life among transgender women living with HIV/AIDS in São Paulo, Brazil

This study focused on factors associated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence and quality of life among transgenderwomen in Sao Paulo, Brazil, using univariable and adjusted analysis. Adherence was evaluated with a self-report tool and with HIV viral load (VL) measurement. PROQOL-HIV was used to assess quality of life. 106 TGW with median 41 years old were included; most were white (56%) and had >10 years of education (57%). Median time since HIV/AIDS diagnosis was 10 years. Overall, participants had high T CD4+ counts (median 659 cells/mm³) and most (75%) had undetectable HIV VL. 85% were considered adherent using self-report (95%CI 77-91), whereas 72% (95%CI 62-80) were considered adherent when self-report and undetectable HIV VL were analyzed jointly. Older age was associated with higher ART adherence; each year increase in age was associated with 5% higher odds of adherence (p = 0.021). Quality of life ranged from good-excellent in 5 of 8 domains. Younger age, lower education, higher time since HIV diagnosis, comorbidities, illicit drugs use and depression were associated with lower PROQOL scores in specific domains in univariable analysis, while depression was also associated with lower total PROQOL score even after adjustment for age, comorbidities and time since HIV diagnosis (p = 0.048).

Gender, HIV-Related Stigma, and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Adults Enrolling in HIV Care in Tanzania

HIV-related stigma has been associated with worse health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among people living with HIV (PLWH). Little is known about how different types of HIV-related stigma (i.e., anticipatory, internalized, or enacted HIV-related stigma) influence HRQoL and whether these relationships differ by gender. The sample included 912 PLWH aged 18 years or older enrolling in HIV care at four health facilities in Tanzania. HRQoL was assessed with the life satisfaction and overall function subscales of the HIV/AIDS-Targeted Quality of Life (HAT-QoL) instrument. Sex-stratified multivariable logistic regression modeled the association of anticipatory, internalized, and enacted HIV-related stigma on poor HRQoL. Across all participants, the mean life satisfaction score was 63.4 (IQR: 43.8, 81.3) and the mean overall function score was 72.0 (IQR: 58.3, 91.7). Mean HRQoL scores were significantly higher for women compared to men for overall function (5.1 points higher) and life satisfaction (4.3 points higher). Fourteen percent of respondents reported recent enacted HIV-related stigma and 13% reported recent medium or high levels of internalized stigma. In multivariable models, high internalized and high anticipatory stigma were significantly associated with higher odds of poor life satisfaction and poor overall function in both men and women. Psychosocial interventions to prevent or reduce the impact of internalized and anticipatory stigma may improve HRQoL among persons in HIV care. Future research should longitudinally examine mechanisms between HIV-related stigma, poor HRQoL, and HIV care outcomes.

Engagement and Retention in HIV Care for Transgender Women: Perspectives of Medical and Social Service Providers in New York City

Transgender women are less likely to engage in HIV care and adhere to antiretroviral medications than other at-risk populations. Health care and social service providers, in addition to consumers, have experiences that can elucidate barriers and facilitators to care and inform interventions. Guided by the social/ecological model, we conducted interviews with 19 providers working with transgender women. At the health systems level, perceived barriers included lack of care accessibility and security, providers' misunderstanding of the transgender community, and lack of cultural competency of information systems and staff. At the community level, barriers included HIV stigma. At the family level, barriers included rejection and housing instability. At the individual level, barriers included conflicts between HIV- and transgender care, medication side effects, competing priorities, mental health issues and substance abuse, and low health literacy. Facilitators included provider competence in transgender health, improved access to care, and patient empowerment. Findings indicate the need for an integrated care model.

The relationship between self-reported viral load suppression and quality of life among people living with HIV in South Carolina

Ensuring the wellbeing of people living with HIV (PLWH) has become a significant public health concern in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy. This study was to assess the quality of life (QoL) among PLWH in South Carolina (SC) and to examine the relationship between self-reported viral load (VL) suppression and their perceived QoL. In 2018, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among 402 PLWH from a large immunology clinic in SC. The WHOQoL brief version (WHOQoL-HIV-BREF) instrument with six domains (physical health, psychological health, social relations, independence, environmental health, and spirituality) and two specific questions (overall rate of QoL and satisfaction with health) were used. On a five-point scale, the participants rated their overall rating of QoL as good (mean = 4.07). The participants reported their psychological health as the highest (mean = 3.88) followed by environmental health (mean = 3.82), social relations (mean = 3.69), and independence (mean = 3.47). 71% reported an undetected VL. In multivariable analyses, self-awareness of undetected VL was significantly associated with satisfaction with health, psychological health, social relations, environmental health, but negatively associated with spirituality. These findings suggest that self-awareness of undetected VL had a significant impact on their perceived QoL beyond sociodemographic factors among PLWH who were linked to care in SC.

Quality Of Life And Stigma Among People Living With HIV/AIDS In Iran

Background

Stigma against HIV profoundly affects the quality of life (QOL) of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). We aimed to assess the factors associated with QOL in PLWHA in Iran, specifically HIV-related stigma, sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.

Methods

Two hundred PLWHA participated in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected using sociodemographic, stigma, and WHO-QOL-BREF questionnaires. Correlations, ANOVAs, and Student’s t-distribution tests were performed as bivariate analyses. We employed stepwise multiple linear regression analysis to explore the main factors associated with QOL domains.

Results

Six domains of QOL were negatively correlated with three domains of stigma (p<0.001 for all). Stepwise multiple linear regression revealed that, after adjusting for confounders, lack of healthcare insurance, having no basic knowledge of HIV/AIDs prior to diagnosis, low monthly income of participants and family, and stigma (blaming and distancing, discrimination, and fear) were associated with low mean score of different domains of QOL.

Conclusion

Our findings indicated that increasing HIV/AIDS-related stigma decreases QOL in PLWHA in Iran. Attention toward decreasing stigma, improving healthcare plan, and cultivating economic condition should be given high priority to ensure improvement in total QOL and corresponding domains in PLWHA’s life.

Psychosocial Factors Associated with Quality of Life in Young Men Who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV/AIDS in Zhejiang, China

OBJECTIVES

To explore the quality of life (QOL) status and related factors in young human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) aged 16 to 24 years in Zhejiang province.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 22 counties of Zhejiang province, and 395 subjects took part in our research. A t-test, one-way Analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis were used to investigate the factors associated with QOL in young HIV-infected MSM.

RESULTS

The total score on the QOL was 86.86 ± 14.01. The multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis revealed that self-efficacy and discrimination were associated with all domains on the QOL assessment, monthly income was associated with QOL for all domains except spirituality and consistent condom use during oral sex with men in the past three months was associated with QOL for all domains except the relationship domain. Those individuals within the group of young HIV-infected MSM who have higher self-efficacy, a higher monthly income, greater social support, safer sexual behaviors, a higher level of education, and a higher cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) count have a better QOL.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that to improve the QOL of this population, greater emphasis should be placed on improving social support, self-efficacy, and antiviral therapy adherence and on reducing discrimination, disease progression, and high-risk behaviors.

Implementation and outcomes of a patient tracing programme for HIV in Trinidad and Tobago

A patient tracing programme was implemented at an HIV clinic in Trinidad and Tobago to address the problem of defaulters from HIV care and non-adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART). The study objective was to evaluate the implementation and outcomes of this programme conducted between April and September 2017. Using patient tracing contact methods, trained social workers attempted to contact 1058 patients lost to follow up (LTFU) between July 2016 and March 2017. Of the 1058 LTFU, 192 were ineligible: 27 (2.5%) were transferred to another clinic, 64 (6%) deceased, 35 (3.3%) hospitalised, 50 (4.7%) migrated and 16 (1.5%) incarcerated. Of the 866 eligible patients for patient tracing, 277 (32%) remained permanently LTFU and 589 (68%) were successfully contacted, re-engaged in care and received adherence counselling. Of the 589 who returned to care, 507 (86%) restarted ART. The three most common barriers reported among the 589 who were reengaged were 'forgetting their appointments' (20%), 'being too busy/work' (16%), and 'not wanting to be seen attending the HIV clinic' (12%). The study findings demonstrated the tracing programme as feasible for re-engaging those who are LTFU and highlighted barriers that can be addressed to further improve retention in HIV care among people living with HIV.

Adherence to HIV treatment regimens: systematic literature review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Antiretroviral therapy (ART), when taken consistently, reduces morbidity and mortality associated with human immunodeficiency virus and viral transmission. Suboptimal treatment adherence is associated with regimen complexity and high tablet burden. Single-tablet regimens (STRs) provide a complete treatment regimen in a single tablet. This study examined the relationship between STRs (vs multiple-tablet regimens [MTRs]), treatment adherence, and viral suppression.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted to identify studies investigating at least one of the following: (1) STR/MTR use and adherence; (2) levels of adherence and viral suppression; and (3) STR/MTR use and viral suppression. Meta-analysis was performed to assess the relationship between STR vs MTR use and adherence in observational settings at ≥95% and ≥90% adherence thresholds.

RESULTS

In total, 29 studies were identified across the three objectives; two studies were relevant for all objectives. STRs were associated with higher treatment adherence than MTRs in 10/11 observational studies: a 63% greater likelihood of achieving ≥95% adherence (95% CI=1.52-1.74; P<0.001) and a 43% increase in the likelihood of achieving ≥90% adherence (95% CI=1.21-1.69; P<0.001). Higher adherence rates were associated with higher levels of viral suppression in 13/18 studies. Results were mixed in five studies investigating the association between STR or MTR use and viral suppression.

CONCLUSION

Although the direct effect of STRs vs MTRs on viral suppression remains unclear, this study provided a quantitative estimate of the relationship between STRs and ART adherence, demonstrating that STRs are associated with significantly higher ART adherence levels at 95% and 90% thresholds. Findings from the systematic review showed that improved adherence results in an increased likelihood of achieving viral suppression in observational settings. Future research should utilize similar measures for adherence and evaluate viral suppression to improve assessment of the relationship between pill burden, adherence, and viral suppression.

Changes in cognition precede changes in HRQoL among HIV+ males: Longitudinal analysis of the multicenter AIDS cohort study

OBJECTIVES

Despite treatment-related improvements in morbidity and mortality, HIV-1-infected (HIV+) individuals continue to face a wide range of HIV-associated medical and HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. Little is known about the impact of cognitive impairment on patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). To address this, the current study examined the longitudinal relationship between cognitive functioning and HRQoL among HIV+ individuals.

METHOD

The sample consisted of 1,306 HIV+ men enrolled in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. Participants received biannual assessments of cognitive functioning (including tests of processing speed, executive functioning, attention/working memory, motor functioning, learning, and memory) and completed questionnaires assessing HRQoL and depression. Multilevel models were used to examine the longitudinal and cross-lagged relationship between HRQoL and cognition, independent of depression and HIV disease severity.

RESULTS

There was a significant relationship between HRQoL and cognitive functioning both between and within subjects. Specifically, individuals who reported better HRQoL reported better cognitive functioning, and longitudinal change in cognition was positively related to change in HRQoL. There was a significant unidirectional-lagged relationship; cognition predicted HRQoL at subsequent visits, but HRQoL did not predict cognitive functioning at subsequent visits. Furthermore, analyses of severity of neurocognitive impairment revealed that transition to a more severe stage of cognitive impairment was associated with a decline in HRQoL.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, the current study suggests that changes in HRQoL are partially driven by changes in cognitive functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Health-related quality of life among HIV-infected patients initiating treatment in Brazil in the single-tablet regimen era

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a multidimensional concept involving an individual's self-perception about how a disease or treatment impacts their daily life. In this study, we evaluated the HRQoL and factors associated with this outcome in 366 patients initiating combination Antiretroviral Therapy (cART) in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.We measured HRQoL using the EuroQoL-5D 3 level (EQ-5D) and the HIV instrument of the World Health Organization (WHOQOL-HIV BREF) and identified factors associated with HRQoL using multilevel linear regression. Participants had been on cART treatment a median of 65.5 days at the time the instruments were completed. The median HRQoL of patients on the single-tablet regimen containing efavirenz/ tenofovir/ lamivudine and the multi-tablet regimen containing dolutegravir and tenofovir/ lamivudine were high, with no significant difference between groups. Factors consistently associated with lower HRQoL were being single (unmarried), having a lower educational level, recent cigarette smoking, recent signs and symptoms of anxiety or depression, comorbid disease and the occurrence of adverse drug reactions. We observed high levels of HRQoL in cART-treated people and no differences between dolutegravir and efavirenz-based regimens. This study provides inputs to future economic analysis and identifies opportunities to increase the HRQoL of patients by targeting modifiable factors.