Comparison of functioning and health-related quality of life among patients with HTLV-1, HIV, and HIV-HTLV-1-coinfection

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human T-cell leukemia virus-1 (HTLV-1) viruses are associated with a high global burden of disease, and coinfection is a frequently reported event. We aimed to compare the functioning and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients infected with HTLV-1, HIV, and HIV-HTLV-1. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of patients older than 18 years who had an HTLV-1 infection (Group A), HIV infection (Group B), or HIV-HTLV-1 coinfection (Group C). The functioning profiles were evaluated using handgrip strength, Berg balance scale (BBS), timed “up and go” (TUG) test, and 5-m walk test (m/s). We used the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) questionnaire to measure disability. The HRQoL was evaluated using a 36-item short-form health survey. For data with parametric and non-parametric distribution, we used analysis of variance with Bonferroni correction and the Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by Dunn’s pairwise tests with Bonferroni correction. RESULTS: We enrolled 68 patients in Group A, 39 in Group B, and 29 in Group C. The scores for handgrip strength, BBS, TUG test, all the WHODAS domains, and HRQoL were poorer for Groups A and C than for Group B. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to patients with HIV infection, those with HIV-HTLV-1 coinfection and HTLV-1 infection had poor functioning and HRQoL scores. HTLV-1 infection was associated with reduced functioning and HRQoL in patients with a single HTLV-1 infection and HIV-HTLV-1 coinfection.

Caracterização Da Independência Funcional E Avaliação Da Qualidade De Vida De Pacientes Portadores Da Mielopatia Associada Ao Vírus HTLV-1

“…Não obstante o estigma social existente em indivíduos infectados pelo HTLV, por se tratar de infecção sexualmente transmissível, leva diversos portadores a manter sigilo e não expor a sua condição de saúde o que dificulta a notificação de novos casos pelo Sistema de Saúde e a assistência com cuidados paliativos para a progressão dos sintomas (14) . O HTLV pode afetar, portanto, a funcionalidade da qualidade de vida (QV) dos indivíduos portadores, havendo poucos estudos que analisem estes aspectos dessa população (9,15) . O presente estudo buscou caracterizar e correlacionar aspectos da qualidade de vida e funcionalidade, em indivíduos portadores da Mielopatia (PET-MAH) associada ao HTLV-1.…”

Work ability and associated factors in people living with human T-cell leukemia virus type 1

“…Patients with HAM/TSP have difficulty performing daily routine activities, particularly because of a disturbed gait that compromises physical, emotional, and social aspects, impairing their quality of life 11 . Patients with HIV-HTLV-1 coinfection or HTLV-1 infection report more difficulty performing daily activities than those with exclusive infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) 12 .…”

Validation of the RAND 36-Item Health Survey questionnaire in Brazil

“…HRQoL is frequently used as an outcome measure that evaluates the quality of care, while the Short Form-36 (SF-36) is a reliable tool that provide good reliability and validity for assessing the individuals' quality of life in different stages of an illness (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11) . In August 2021, a search in PubMed (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) database using the term "SF 36" retrieved 92,145 articles.…”