Quality of life of people living with HIV and AIDS and antiretroviral therapy

Abstract

The development of antiretroviral drugs has significantly changed the perception of HIV/AIDS from a very fatal to a chronic and potentially manageable disease, and the availability and administration of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has significantly reduced mortality and morbidity associated with HIV and AIDS. There is a relationship between ART and quality of life of people living with HIV and AIDS, and several studies have reported a strong positive association between ART and improved quality of life in different domains among people living with HIV and AIDS in both developed and developing countries. However, a few studies have reported on the negative effects of ART, which directly or indirectly relate to the quality of life and longevity of HIV-infected persons. In this review, the effects and benefits of ART on people living with HIV and AIDS based on studies done in developed and developing countries is examined.

An evaluation of quality of life and its determinants among people living with HIV/AIDS from Southern Brazil

“…The antiretroviral therapy that is currently available is able to significantly change the morbidity and mortality associated with HIV/AIDS 44 . In our sample, we found an independent relationship only with the environment domain, with the worst scores among participants who have never used the medication.…”

Sexual orientation and quality of life of people living with HIV/Aids

“…Currently, living with HIV, requires much more than treating the disease. People living with HIV/Aids (PLWHA) often have to deal with transdisciplinary problems that involve depressive symptoms, stigma, discrimination, and the adverse effects of the therapeutic treatment (6)(7)(8) .…”

Sociodemographic, lifestyle and therapeutic predictors of 2-year survival in HIV-infected persons receiving antiretroviral therapy in Benin

“…These benefits include viral suppression, CD4 lymphocyte repletion, and durable reductions in AIDS-related opportunistic diseases and death. 13,14 As indicated by an unadjusted Cox regression HR, the male sex was associated with a high likelihood of death within the first two years after ART initiation. This result is similar to that reported by Gezahegn in Ethiopia 3 and by Meda in Burkina Faso.…”

“…Clinically assessing adverse reactions during the course of ART and carefully monitoring patients after any ART switch could contribute to improved quality of life and survival in HIV-infected patients receiving ART. 14 Some limitations of this study should be mentioned, the main one being the exclusion of some potential participants due to incomplete medical records. This limitation could have induced selection bias leading to less representativeness of the participant's sampling.…”

“…16 The current focus should be on how to maximize the positive effects of ART, especially in resource-poor settings, such as Benin. According to Oguntibeju,14 there is a need to provide more support to HIV/AIDS patients and to organize awareness programmes that can address the issues of stigma and discrimination, since such awareness programmes could contribute to improved ART adherence. Clinically assessing adverse reactions during the course of ART and carefully monitoring patients after any ART switch could contribute to improved quality of life and survival in HIV-infected patients receiving ART.…”