Quality of Life of HIV Infected Children Attending the Antiretroviral Clinic, University College Hospital, Ibadan.

Background: HIV infection is still prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa. The presence of a chronic illness in childhood, such as HIV infection, can affect the health-related quality of life (QoL) negatively.

Objective: The study compared the QoL of HIV-infected and uninfected children in order to assess the impact of HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy on the QoLof children.

Methods: It was a comparative cross-sectional study in which 150 primary caregivers of both HIV infected and HIV non-infected children were recruited. Data was collected on sociodemographic characteristics, negative life events and QoL domain scores on health perception, physical resilience, functional status, physical functioning, psychological functioning, social/role functioning and HIV-related symptoms from the primary caregiver and analysed.

Results: Mean age of HIV infected and non-infected children was 3.0 ± 0.9 years and 2.9±1.0 years respectively. HIV infected children had a greater proportion of their grandparents (15% versus 1%, p<0.05) being their primary caregiver. HIV infected children were associated with significantly worse mean QoLscore compared with HIVnon-infected children (p<0.05). Advanced HIV infection was associated with low QoL. Use of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) among the HIV infected children was associated with a higher QoL in the general health rating, physical resilience, functional score, symptom, social and role functioning domains (p<0.05) except for physical functioning and psychological functioning.

Conclusion: HIV infection in children is associated with poor QoL. Advance HIV disease was associated with poor QoL and antiretroviral therapy was associated with improved QoL in HIV infected children.