Poor health-related quality of life and abnormal psychosocial adjustment in Italian children with perinatal HIV infection receiving highly active antiretroviral treatment

• Published in: AIDS care 2010-07, Vol.22 (7), p.858-865
• Main Authors: Bomba, Monica, Nacinovich, Renata, Oggiano, Silvia, Cassani, Morena, Baushi, Liliana, Bertulli, Cristina, Longhi, Daniela, Coppini, Simonetta, Parrinello, Giovanni, Plebani, Alessandro, Badolato, Raffaele
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adolescent; AIDS; AIDS/HIV; Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents; Antiretroviral drugs; Antiretroviral therapy; Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; Antiviral agents; Behavioural problems; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child Behavior Disorders - psychology; Child health; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Cross-Sectional Studies; Drug therapy; Female; Health Status; health-related quality of life; HIV; HIV Infections - drug therapy; HIV Infections - psychology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Italy; Male; Medical sciences; Morbidity; Perinatal care; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Quality of life; Quality of Life - psychology; Social Behavior Disorders - psychology; Social competence; Social psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Survival
• ISSN: 0954-0121; 1360-0451
• DOI: 10.1080/09540120903483018

To evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQL), social competence, and behavioral problems in children with perinatal HIV infection receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), a cross-sectional study was performed at the Department of Pediatrics, University of Brescia. We evaluated HRQL, social competence, and behavioral problems in 27 HIV-infected children compared with age and sex-matched control subjects using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), respectively. On the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scale, HIV-infected subjects displayed significantly reduced physical (p=0.043) and psychosocial health (p=0.021) functioning, particularly at school (p=0.000), compared with healthy subjects, resulting in a significantly reduced total score (p=0.013). Assessment of social competence and the behavioral features of HIV-infected children by means of the CBCL revealed severe limitations of functioning in HIV-infected children who had impaired social ability. Children with HIV-RNA above the threshold level of 50 had higher scores on the CBCL delinquent behavior (p=0.021) and school competence (p=0.025) subsets. Although the introduction of HAART regimens has prolonged the survival of HIV-infected children, other factors, including disease morbidity and familial and environmental conditions, negatively affect their quality of life, thereby contributing to increased risk for behavioral problems.