Quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS treated by the specialized service in Vitória-ES, Brazil / Qualidade de vida de pessoas que vivem com HIV/AIDS assistidas no serviço especializado em Vitória (ES), Brasil

The aim of this study is to establish the factors that influence the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS being treated at a specialized public service. The participants answered the questionnaire on sociodemographic conditions, issues related to HIV and daily habits. The quality of life was analyzed using the HIV/AIDS-targeted quality of life (HAT-QoL) instrument with 42 items divided into 9 fields: General Activity, Sexual Activity, Confidentiality Concerns, Health Concerns, Financial Concerns, HIV Awareness, Satisfaction with Life, Issues related to Medication and Trust in the Physician. Bivariate and multiple linear regressions were performed. Of the participants, 53.1% were women and had a mean age of 42 years. In analyzing the quality of life, the HAT-QoL domain with the lowest average was Financial Concerns (39.4), followed by Confidentiality Concerns (43.2), Sexual Activity (55.2) and Health Concerns (62. 88). There was an association between the variables: not being gainfully employed (p < 0.001), being mulatto or black (p = 0.045) and alcohol consumption (p = 0.041) with the worst quality of life scores. Inadequate socioeconomic and health conditions had a negative impact on the quality of life of people with HIV/AIDS.

O objetivo do presente estudo é verificar os fatores que influenciam na qualidade de vida das pessoas que vivem com HIV/AIDS assistidas no serviço especializado. Os entrevistados responderam os questionários sobre condições sociodemográficas, aspectos relacionados ao HIV e hábitos. A qualidade de vida foi analisada por meio do instrumento HAT-QoL, com 42 itens divididos em nove domínios: Atividade Geral, Atividade Sexual, Preocupações com Sigilo, Preocupação com a Saúde, Preocupação Financeira, Conscientização sobre o HIV, Satisfação com a Vida, Questões relativas à medicação e Confiança no médico. Análises bivariadas e regressão linear múltipla foram realizadas. Dos entrevistados, 53,1% eram mulheres e tinham média de idade de 42 anos. Na análise da qualidade de vida, o domínio do HAT-QoL com menor média foi Preocupação financeira (39,4), seguido de Preocupação com sigilo (43,2), Atividades sexuais (55,2) e Preocupação com a saúde (62,88). Houve associação entre as variáveis não ter vínculo trabalhista (p < 0,001), ser pardo ou negro (p = 0,045) e consumir bebida alcoólica (p = 0,041), com piores escores da qualidade de vida. Condições socioeconômicas e de saúde inadequadas apresentaram impacto negativo na qualidade de vida das pessoas com HIV/AIDS.

Abnormal Integrity of Corticocortical Tracts in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been defined as a transitional state between normal aging and Alzheimer disease. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can estimate the microstructural integrity of white matter tracts in MCI. We evaluated the microstructural changes in the white matter of MCI patients with DTI. We recruited 11 patients with MCI who met the working criteria of MCI and 11 elderly normal controls. The mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) were measured in 26 regions of the brain with the regions of interest (ROIs) method. In the MCI patients, FA values were significantly decreased in the hippocampus, the posterior limb of the internal capsule, the splenium of corpus callosum, and in the superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculus compared to the control group. MD values were significantly increased in the hippocampus, the anterior and posterior limbs of the internal capsules, the splenium of the corpus callosum, the right frontal lobe, and in the superior and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus. Microstructural changes of several corticocortical tracts associated with cognition were identified in patients with MCI. FA and MD values of DTI may be used as novel biomarkers for the evaluation of neurodegenerative disorders.