title: Impact of chronic viral hepatitis on health-related quality of life in HIV: results from a nationally representative sample.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about the health burden of chronic viral hepatitis in HIV-infected patients. We compared health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients with HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) or HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) coinfection to those with HIV monoinfection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a nationally representative sample of 1,874 adults with HIV who completed a baseline and two follow-up interviews, we identified those with HIV monoinfection (n = 1,493), HIV-HCV coinfection (n = 279), and HIV-HBV coinfection (n = 122). We measured baseline and change over time scores for physical and mental health (PHS, MHS), overall quality of life (QOL), overall health, and disability days. To identify the independent effect of coinfection, we adjusted for demographic and clinical predictors of HRQOL using multivariable regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Despite significant differences in socio-demographic characteristics between groups, there were no differences in the baseline scores for PHS, MHS, overall QOL, overall health, or disability days between groups. The HRQOL did not decline significantly over time for the HIV patients with or without HCV or HBV coinfection. All groups reported similar longitudinal changes in the HRQOL scores for all measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found no significant differences in disease burden as assessed by a generic HRQOL instrument between patients with HIV monoinfection and HIV-HCV or HIV-HBV coinfection. These data are relevant in counseling coinfected patients regarding the impact of coinfection on HRQOL, and are important in designing clinical trials and conducting cost-effectiveness analyses including this vulnerable cohort.
authors.affiliation: VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System, Division of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 90073, USA.
authors.forename: Fasiha
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kanwal
authors.forename: Ian M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Gralnek
authors.forename: Ron D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Hays
authors.forename: Gareth S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Dulai
authors.forename: Brennan M R
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Spiegel
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bozzette
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Asch
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000150:complications*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011788:Quality of Life