[Quality of life in HIV-infected children and adolescents under highly active antiretroviral therapy: change over time, effects of age and familial context].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate Quality of life (QoL) of HIV-infected children under highly active antiretroviral therapies, and its change over 18 months.


METHODS
QoL was evaluated by self-administred questionnaires (french versions of AUQUEI, OK-ado, and compilation of both) in 23 young living with HIV/AIDS (6-15 yrs), under antiretroviral multitherapies, and re-evaluated 18 months later in 19 of them.


RESULTS
At baseline, QoL in HIV-infected children-adolescents was relatively good. The answers given to each items and the mean score from infected children were similar to those obtained in uninfected healthy children. Moreover, infected adolescents distinguished definitly from healthy adolescents, describing higher QoL. The mean satisfaction score from the whole group decreased between M0 and M18 (mainly in the youngests), and mainly concerned 3 fields (self-esteem, health and school) while their somatic health remained stable or improved. An effect of the familial context was also observed for these 3 fields.


CONCLUSIONS
The progressive decline of QoL in HIV-infected children, and the surprising high and steady level of satisfaction over-time provided by the adolescents, underlined the frailty of this population and the need for a psychologic management associated to the medical follow-up. Such a multidisciplinary approach should take into account the preoccupations and difficulties of each age-class, those linked to the diagnosis itself, and to the familial or scolar contexts, in order to preserve QoL of this pediatric population, as far as possible, in a long term.
Thöni
G J
GJ
Service de pédiatrie III, CHU A. de Villeneuve, 371, avenue du Doyen-Giraud, 34059 Montpellier, France. gilles.thoni@univ-montp1.fr
Lalande
M
M
Bachelard
G
G
Vidal
P
P
Manificat
S
S
Fédou
C
C
Rodière
M
M
Nicolas
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D002648:Child; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005602:France; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires