Shakirat Iyabo Bello

Quality of life of HIV/AIDS patients in a secondary health care facility, Ilorin, Nigeria

This study evaluated the quality of life (QoL) and associated factors for 160 HIV/AIDS patients in Sobi Specialist Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria. The patients were assessed with the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire-Short Version. Frequency distribution, percentages, and means were employed for the statistical analysis of the results. The mean age of the HIV/AIDS patients was 38.0 years; 70% were females, 55% were literates, more than three quarters were married, and one third were businessmen/women. The overall mean scores for health-related QoL were 72 for the physical domain, 67 for the psychological domain, 65 for the environment domain, and 47 for the social domain. Significant differences were observed in all domains among patients who had received 12 months of antiretroviral therapy compared with those who had just begun therapy. Marital status, fewer pills, and longer duration of therapy appeared to predict better QoL in this study. The improved QoL in the physical, psychological, and environmental domains is suggestive of the interventions offered to the patients by the pharmacists in this setting.