Relationship between Stress and Neuroimmunological Responses and Health Literacy in Newly Diagnosed HIV-Infected Patients: An Exploratory Study.

Objectives: We aimed to study self-rated health and psycho-neuroimmunological responses during the initial 6 months after testing positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and its relationship to health literacy, that is, the ability to take in and understand information about one's illness. Health literacy plays a critical role in patients' ability to adhere to antiretroviral treatment (ART). However, there is a lack of studies on the possible impact of HIV-induced proinflammatory processes on health literacy.

Methods: Twelve patients with newly diagnosed HIV attending an urban Ryan White-funded HIV clinic responded to a questionnaire and had blood samples drawn at baseline (first visit) and after 1, 3, and 6 months, respectively. The questionnaire measured stress, depression, and health literacy. Blood was analyzed for HIV RNA plasma viral load, CD4 cell count, pro- and antistress, and inflammatory markers.

Results: Complete data for the entire 4 collection periods were available for nine patients. Over the 6-month period, mean viral load decreased from 353,714.83 (standard deviation 870,334.61) to 35.89 (14.04) copies/mL ( < 0.001). CD4 cell count increased from 321.08 (167.96) to 592.44 (300.06) cells/mm ( < 0.001). Self-rated stress decreased from a baseline mean of 7.33 (2.29) to 3.56 (3.21), on a 0-10 visual analogue scale, at the 6-month follow-up ( < 0.01). C-reactive protein (CRP) decreased from 5757.05 (3146.86) to 2360.84 (2277.33) ng/mL ( < 0.05). Mean health literacy score at baseline was 17.67 (3.50; scale range 0-20) and did not change during the follow-up period. However, increased stress and decreased CRP ( = 0.05) during the 6-month follow-up predicted higher health literacy scores at 6 months.

Conclusion: Both stress and proinflammatory processes in newly diagnosed HIV-infected patients might adversely impact patients' health literacy and thus their capacity to align with treatment guidance.