Leiberich P, Brieger M, Schumacher K, Joraschky P, Olbrich E, Loew H, Tritt K
Schwerpunkt Psychosomatik an der Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin II am Klinikum der Universität Regensburg, Deutschland.
Nervenarzt. 2005 Sep;76(9):1117-9, 1121-3, 1125-6. doi: 10.1007/s00115-004-1868-3.
Preserving health-related quality of life (QOL) is an important approach with HIV-positive patients. In a longitudinal study over 3 years, with three measurements each 18 months, we examined 56 of these patients for the influence of distress and coping (assessed by interviews) on physical, cognitive-emotional, and social QOL (using the SEL questionnaire). The patients were 32.9 years old on average, with 28.3 months since diagnosis. Seventy percent were male, 82% asymptomatic, 14% with ARC, and 4% with AIDS. Forty-five percent had been infected by homosexual intercourse, 14% by heterosexual intercourse, and 41% by iv drug abuse. The patients reported significantly worse physical and cognitive-emotional QOL than healthy subjects. Those HIV-positive persons with great distress showed significantly lower QOL scores. Multiple analyses of regression showed evasive-regressive coping at the T1, T2, and T3 levels as negative predictors, vs active, problem-focused coping as a positive predictor for nearly all QOL parameters at T3. HIV-positive patients with ARC or AIDS reported more physical complaints and lower physical QOL than asymptomatic persons. Physicians should suggest psychosocial support to patients with poor QOL scores.
