Health-Related Quality of Life of Patients with HIV/AIDS in Bogotá, Colombia.

BACKGROUND

There has rarely been any reporting on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients with HIV/AIDS in developing countries.

OBJECTIVES

To estimate the health utilities of people with HIV/AIDS in Bogotá, Columbia.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted for 181 patients receiving antiretroviral therapy from an outpatient HIV/AIDS clinic in Bogotá. The five-level version of the EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L) and the EuroQol visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) were used to estimate HRQOL scores. To derive utilities on the basis of the EQ-5D-5L, the Spanish value set was used. Subgroup analyses were performed according to sex, age, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classification, and CD4 cell count.

RESULTS

The mean utility of the EQ-5D-5L was estimated at 0.85 ± 0.21 and the EQ-VAS score was estimated at 84 ± 14. Pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression were the two EQ-5D-5L dimensions associated with the poorer outcomes. Subgroup analyses revealed significantly higher utilities (using the EQ-5D-5L) for men than for women (0.88 vs. 0.76; P = 0.002) and lower utilities for patients with severe HIV (0.83 for CD4 < 200 vs. 0.87 for CD4 ≥ 500; P = 0.024).

CONCLUSIONS

The HRQOL scores of patients with HIV/AIDS receiving antiretroviral therapy were relatively high in Bogotá, Colombia, using the EuroQol questionnaire. The utility data could be useful, in combination with cost data, for future economic evaluations.