Perceived quality of life among Visceral Leishmaniasis and HIV coinfected migrant male-workers in Northwest Ethiopia: a qualitative study

Vulnerabilities to and the Socioeconomic and Psychosocial Impacts of the Leishmaniases: A Review

The leishmaniases are a group of four vector-borne neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) with 1.6 billion people in some 100 countries at risk. They occur in certain eco-epidemiological foci that reflect manipulation by human activities, such as migration, urbanization and deforestation, of which poverty, conflict and climate change are key drivers. Given their synergistic impacts, risk factors and the vulnerabilities of poor populations and the launch of a new 2030 roadmap for NTDs in the context of the global sustainability agenda, it is warranted to update the state of knowledge of the leishmaniases and their effects. Using existing literature, we review socioeconomic and psychosocial impacts of leishmaniasis within a framework of risk factors and vulnerabilities to help inform policy interventions. Studies show that poverty is an overarching primary risk factor. Low-income status fosters inadequate housing, malnutrition and lack of sanitation, which create and exacerbate complexities in access to care and treatment outcomes as well as education and awareness. The co-occurrence of the leishmaniases with malnutrition and HIV infection further complicate diagnosis and treatment, leading to poor diagnostic outcomes and therapeutic response. Even with free treatment, households may suffer catastrophic health expenditure from direct and indirect medical costs, which compounds existing financial strain in low-income communities for households and healthcare systems. The dermatological presentations of the leishmaniases may result in long-term severe disfigurement, leading to stigmatization, reduced quality of life, discrimination and mental health issues. A substantial amount of recent literature points to the vulnerability pathways and burden of leishmaniasis on women, in particular, who disproportionately suffer from these impacts. These emerging foci demonstrate a need for continued international efforts to address key risk factors and population vulnerabilities if leishmaniasis control, and ultimately elimination, is to be achieved by 2030.

Quality of life perceptions amongst patients co-infected with Visceral Leishmaniasis and HIV: A qualitative study from Bihar, India

Background

Co-infection with Visceral Leishmaniasis (commonly known as Kala Azar, KA) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is increasingly being diagnosed among patients in Bihar. This qualitative study is the first assessment of self-reported quality of life among patients co-infected with KA-HIV in the Asian context.

Methods

We conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews and adopted an inductive thematic analysis to generate evidence on the quality of life of patients co-infected with KA and HIV. Patients were purposively sampled until saturation was attained.

Results

We found that patients highly valued income or livelihood potential and health as indicators of a good quality life, and routinely went into debt accessing care in the private setup. This was due to perceptions of poor quality of care in the government setup and a lack of knowledge regarding available government services at the district level. KA symptoms were often misdiagnosed in the private sector as seasonal fever, while care providers found it difficult to disentangle the clinical symptoms of KA and HIV; hence, patients presented late to district hospitals. Patients perceived a high level of stigma, largely due to their HIV status, and routinely reported that HIV had “destroyed” their life.

Conclusions

Inadequate social support and referral pathways that were not conducive to patient needs negatively impacted patients’ quality of life. The dual burden of poverty interacting with the severity and chronicity of KA-HIV co-infection means financial support, increased community engagement, and collaborative decision making are crucial for co-infected patients. Increased provider awareness of co-infection and effective stigma-reduction interventions should be integrated to ensure that appropriate and effective access to care is possible for this vulnerable population. A sustainable long-term strategy requires a people-centered approach wherein the perceptions and life circumstances of patients are taken into account in the medical decision making process.

Effect of Health Care on Quality of Life among Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infected Adults With and Without Visceral Leishmaniasis in northwest Ethiopia: A Longitudinal Follow-Up Study

There has been a scarcity of data on the effect of health care on the quality of life (QoL) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)- and visceral leishmaniasis (VL)- coinfected patients over time. We sought to assess the change that health care brings about in the QoL of HIV patients with and without VL and its predictors in 6 months. A total of 465 HIV patients without VL and 125 HIV-VL-coinfected patients were enrolled in the longitudinal follow-up study from October 2015 to September 2016. Data on QoL at baseline and in 6 months were collected by trained nurses through face-to-face interviews using a short Amharic version of World Health Organization QoL instrument for HIV clients. Multiple linear regressions were used to assess the predictors of health-related QoL. There was an improvement in all of the domains of QoL at the sixth month follow-up compared with the baseline for both groups of patients (P < 0.001). Lack of social support and income were associated with the low improvement in QoL in most of the domains in both groups. Compared with patients having severe acute malnutrition, patients having moderate acute malnutrition and normal nutritional status were better in most of the QoL domains in both groups of patients. Both antiretroviral and anti-VL treatments showed improvement in all dimensions of QoL. Income, social support, and nutritional status were the predictors for most of the QoL domains.