Lower health-related quality of life predicts all-cause hospitalization among HIV-infected individuals.

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a patient-centered outcome measure used in assessing the individual's overall functional health status but studies looking at HRQOL as a predictive tool are few. This work examines whether summary scores of HRQOL are predictive of all-cause hospitalization in the US Military HIV Natural History Study (NHS) cohort.

Methods: The Short Form 36 (SF-36) was administered between 2006 and 2010 to 1711 NHS cohort members whose hospitalization records we had also obtained. Physical component summary scores (PCSS) and mental component summary scores (MCSS) were computed based on standard algorithms. Terciles of PCSS and MCSS were generated with the upper terciles (higher HRQOL) as referent groups. Proportional hazards multivariate regression models were used to estimate the hazard of hospitalization for PCSS and MCSS separately (models 1 and 2, respectively) and combined (model 3).

Results: The hazard ratios (HR) of hospitalization were respectively 2.12 times (95% CI: 1.59-2.84) and 1.59 times (95% CI: 1.19-2.14) higher for the lower and middle terciles compared to the upper PCSS tercile. The HR of hospitalization was 1.33 times (95% CI: 1.02-1.73) higher for the lower compared to the upper MCSS tercile. Other predictors of hospitalization were CD4 count < 200 cells/mm (HR = 2.84, 95% CI: 1.96, 4.12), CD4 count 200-349 cells/mm (HR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.24, 2.26), CD4 count 350-499 cells/mm (HR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.83), plasma viral load > 50 copies/mL (HR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.46, 2.26), and yearly increment in duration of HIV infection (HR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.93, 0.96) (model 3).

Conclusion: After controlling for factors associated with hospitalization among those with HIV, both PCSS and MCSS were predictive of all-cause hospitalization in the NHS cohort. HRQOL assessment using the SF-36 may be useful in stratifying hospitalization risk among HIV-infected populations.