The model of logistic regression for MHS explained 88.1% of the index variability (P<0.001) and revealed that protective variables against poor MHS were ‘no depression’ and ‘not being diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C’ (Table

4 and Fig. 2). The principal aim of this study was to evaluate HRQL in our HIV-infected population and the diverse factors related to HRQL in order to establish a predictive model of HRQL. Our patients were not selected for particular characteristics; their profile reflects that of the Spanish National Registry of AIDS Cases [24], which suggests that our sample was representative. Regarding external validity of our data referred to national and international studies, it is corroborated by series of large number of individuals Veliparib purchase with profiles that vary between 69.1% of males in Murri et al. [25], 71.2% in Préau et al. [26] Bortezomib ic50 and 73%

in Ruiz Pérez et al. [13] Mean scores for PHS and MHS and the 11 domains of the MOS-HIV questionnaire obtained in our study are in general agreement with the data obtained by other research groups, both national and international [13,27–30]. Living together as a couple could be an influential factor in HRQL, as various authors have suggested [13,15,29]. In the present study, we found that single patients, those who lived alone and those who did not have children presented significantly better scores in General Health Perceptions, while Ruiz Pérez et al. [13] describe a positive relationship between living as a couple and PHS and MHS. There is great disagreement regarding the immunological state of patients studied, given that different groups have not found a significant relationship between immunological markers (CD4 cell count and viral load) and HRQL domains [25,26], as was

also the case in the present study. Nevertheless, other groups have found a positive relationship between HRQL and CD4 cell count, and a negative one between HRQL and viral load [13,15,17,28]. In our opinion, this uncertainty may indicate a need for more accurate determination of the correlation between viral load parameters and immunological status. However, in this study, patients with AIDS had higher scores in Mental Health, Energy, Cognitive Functioning, Quality of Life BCKDHA and MHS; a result that runs contrary to findings in the literature [13,17,28]. This could be attributable to stability reached in the illness evolution over the years, which has resulted in improvements in immunological status and long-term maintenance of patients in CDC category C. In evaluating the health status of our patients, we found a strong relationship between HRQL domains and symptoms associated with HIV infection, with asymptomatic patients having higher scores in all domains, and a greater number of symptoms resulting in a lower score, a relationship that has also been found in previous studies [17,25,29,31,32].