Quality of Life Among HIV-Infected Patients in Brazil after Initiation of Treatment

INTRODUCTION: Despite improvement in clinical treatment for HIV-infected patients, the impact of antiretroviral therapy on the overall quality of life has become a major concern. OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with increased levels of self-reported quality of life among HIV-infected patients after four months of antiretroviral therapy. METHODS: Patients were recruited at two public health referral centers for AIDS, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, for a prospective adherence study. Patients were interviewed before initiating treatment (baseline) and after one and four months. Quality of life was assessed using a psychometric instrument, and factors associated with good/very good quality of life four months after the initiation of antiretroviral therapy were assessed using a cross-sectional approach. Logistic regression was used for analysis. RESULTS: Overall quality of life was classified as 'very good/good' by 66.4% of the participants four months after initiating treatment, while 33.6% classified it as 'neither poor nor good/poor/very poor'. Logistic regression indicated that >8 years of education, none/mild symptoms of anxiety and depression, no antiretroviral switch, lower number of adverse reactions and better quality of life at baseline were independently associated with good/very good quality of life over four months of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight the importance of modifiable factors such as psychiatric symptoms and treatment-related variables that may contribute to a better quality of life among patients initiating treatment. Considering that poor quality of life is related to non-adherence to antiretroviral therapy, careful clinical monitoring of these factors may contribute to ensuring the long-term effectiveness of antiretroviral regimens

Physical violence against patients with mental disorders in Brazil: sex differences in a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: Patients with mental illness are more exposed to violence than the general population. This study assessed factors associated with lifetime physical violence against these patients stratified by sex in Brazil. METHODS: This is a National cross-sectional multicenter study with a representative sample of 2,475 patients randomly selected from 26 public mental health services. Logistic regression was used to evaluate factors associated with physical violence and crude (OR) and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence interval were estimated. Statistical level considered was 0.05. RESULTS: The prevalence of lifetime physical violence against mental patients was similar for women (57.6%) and men (57.8%). Physical violence against women was independently associated with: previous psychiatric hospitalizations (aOR = 2.09), lifetime STD (aOR = 1.75), lifetime alcohol consumption (aOR = 1.59), age of sexual debut (< 16 y.o.) (aOR = 1.40), lifetime sex under alcohol/drugs use (aOR = 2.08), having received/offered money for sex (aOR = 1.73) and lifetime incarceration (aOR = 1.69). Among men, associated factors were: age (18-40 y.o.) (aOR = 1.90), history of homelessness (aOR = 1.71), previous psychiatric hospitalization (aOR = 1.39), lifetime STD (aOR = 1.52), lifetime alcohol consumption (aOR = 1.41), lifetime use of marijuana or cocaine (aOR = 1.54), having received/offered money for sex (aOR = 1.47), lifetime history of incarceration (aOR = 2.07). DISCUSSION: The prevalence of physical violence in this population was high for both sexes. Although there were similar factors independently associated with physical violence among men and women, there are important differences, such as age of sexual debut and lifetime sex under alcohol/drugs use for women, but not for men, while younger age, history of homelessness, and lifetime use of marijuana or cocaine were associated factors for men only. Screening for history of violence upon admission and early interventions to decrease vulnerability are needed in mental health public services in Brazil.OBJETIVOS: Pacientes com transtorno mental estão mais expostos à violência do que a população em geral. Este estudo avaliou os fatores associados à violência física na vida contra esses pacientes, por meio de análise estratificada por sexo, no Brasil. MÉTODOS: Trata-se de estudo multicêntrico nacional transversal, com amostra representativa de 2.475 pacientes selecionados aleatoriamente de 26 serviços públicos de saúde mental. A regressão logística foi utilizada para avaliar os fatores associados à violência física, e odds ratio brutos e ajustados (ORa), com intervalo de 95% de confiança, foram estimados. O nível de significância considerado foi de 0,05. RESULTADOS: A prevalência na vida de violência física contra pacientes com transtornos mentais foi semelhante para mulheres (57,6%) e homens (57,8%). A violência física contra as mulheres esteve independentemente associada com: internações psiquiátricas anteriores (ORa = 2,09), histórico de doença sexualmente transmissível (ORa = 1,75), histórico de uso de álcool (ORa = 1,59), idade de iniciação sexual (< 16 anos) (ORa = 1,40), histórico de sexo sob efeito de drogas/álcool (ORa = 2,08), ter recebido/oferecido dinheiro por sexo (ORa = 1,73) e histórico de encarceramento (ORa = 1,69). Entre os homens, os fatores associados foram: idade (18-40) (ORa = 1,90), histórico de morar na rua (ORa = 1,71), internação psiquiátrica anterior (ORa = 1,39), histórico de doença sexualmente transmissível (ORa = 1,52), histórico de consumo de álcool (ORa = 1,41), uso na vida de maconha ou cocaína (ORa = 1,54), ter recebido/oferecido dinheiro por sexo (ORa = 1,47), histórico de encarceramento (ORa = 2,07). CONCLUSÃO: A prevalência de violência física nessa população foi elevada para ambos os sexos. Embora haja fatores semelhantes independentemente associados à violência física entre homens e mulheres, há diferenças importantes, tais como a idade de início da vida sexual e o sexo sob uso de drogas/álcool para mulheres, mas não para os homens. Já para os homens, mas não para as mulheres, o histórico de morar na rua e o uso de maconha ou cocaína na vida estiveram associados ao evento. Triagem para a história da violência na admissão e intervenções precoces para diminuir a vulnerabilidade são necessárias nos serviços públicos de saúde mental no Brasil

HIV/AIDS and Serious Mental Illness: A Risky Conclusion

Letter to the Editor of the journal Psychiatric Services about the conclusions of the October 2012 article "Serious mental illness and risk of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses: an analysis of Medicaid beneficiaries in eight states" published in the journal

Mortality rates due to pneumonia among children under five years old in city of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, 1979-1985

Foi realizado um estudo descritivo, a partir das informações provenientes de órgãos oficiais e dos atestados de óbito, sobre a mortalidade por pneumonia entre os anos de 1979 e 1985 no Município de Belo Horizonte, MG (Brasil). Os dados revelaram que a taxa de mortalidade chegou a ser 35 vezes superior àquela dos países desenvolvidos e que a redução anual da mortalidade no período em questão foi 2/3 daquela obtida nesses mesmos países. Em 1985, estas disparidades também ocorreram dentro do próprio município pois, nas zonas de maior renda familiar média mensal as taxas foram menos elevadas, embora estatisticamente não significativas. (Z = 1,2, p >; 0,05).Death rates due to pneumonia in children under five years old in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, during the period from 1979 to 1985, were studied on the basis of official reports and death certificates. The data show that mortality was 35 times higher in Belo Horizonte than in developed countries in 1979. The annual reduction in the death rate in Belo Horizonte over the same period was two-thirds of that observed in the developed countries. The death rate was higher among children from lower-income families and those living in poor areas of the city, at least during 1985, but the difference was not statistically significant (Z = 1.2, p >; 0.05)

Utilização de serviços de saúde por população quilombola do Sudoeste da Bahia, Brasil

O uso de serviços de saúde vem aumentando no país, mas permanecem as desigualdades geográficas e sociais, especialmente entre os grupos minoritários. O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar o uso de serviços de saúde pela população quilombola de Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brasil. Trata-se de inquérito de saúde transversal, realizado em 2011, com indivíduos quilombolas > 18 anos. A magnitude das associações entre variáveis explanatórias e o uso de serviços foi estimada pelas razões de prevalência obtidas por regressão de Poisson com intervalo de 95% de confiança. Dos 797 indivíduos entrevistados, 455 (57,1%) usaram algum serviço de saúde nos 12 meses anteriores às entrevistas. Verificou-se maiores prevalências de uso de serviços para os quilombolas do sexo feminino, com companheiros(as), que avaliaram sua saúde como regular, ruim ou muito ruim, cadastrados no Programa Saúde da Família e que fizeram referência a um serviço de saúde de uso regular. Os resultados apontaram subutilização de serviços de saúde pelos quilombolas, demonstrando a necessidade de melhorar a prestação de serviços de saúde a essa população

Conhecimento de HIV/Aids entre homens que fazem sexo com homens: teoria de resposta ao item

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the level of HIV/AIDS knowledge among men who have sex with men in Brazil using the latent trait model estimated by Item Response Theory. METHODS Multicenter, cross-sectional study, carried out in ten Brazilian cities between 2008 and 2009. Adult men who have sex with men were recruited (n = 3,746) through Respondent Driven Sampling. HIV/AIDS knowledge was ascertained through ten statements by face-to-face interview and latent scores were obtained through two-parameter logistic modeling (difficulty and discrimination) using Item Response Theory. Differential item functioning was used to examine each item characteristic curve by age and schooling. RESULTS Overall, the HIV/AIDS knowledge scores using Item Response Theory did not exceed 6.0 (scale 0-10), with mean and median values of 5.0 (SD = 0.9) and 5.3, respectively, with 40.7% of the sample with knowledge levels below the average. Some beliefs still exist in this population regarding the transmission of the virus by insect bites, by using public restrooms, and by sharing utensils during meals. With regard to the difficulty and discrimination parameters, eight items were located below the mean of the scale and were considered very easy, and four items presented very low discrimination parameter (< 0.34). The absence of difficult items contributed to the inaccuracy of the measurement of knowledge among those with median level and above. CONCLUSIONS Item Response Theory analysis, which focuses on the individual properties of each item, allows measures to be obtained that do not vary or depend on the questionnaire, which provides better ascertainment and accuracy of knowledge scores. Valid and reliable scales are essential for monitoring HIV/AIDS knowledge among the men who have sex with men population over time and in different geographic regions, and this psychometric model brings this advantage.OBJETIVO Avaliar o nível de conhecimento de HIV/Aids entre homens que fazem sexo com homens no Brasil, utilizando o modelo de traço latente da Teoria de Resposta ao Item. MÉTODOS Estudo multicêntrico, transversal, que ocorreu entre 2008 e 2009 em 10 cidades brasileiras. Foram recrutados 3.746 homens que fazem sexo com homens pela técnica amostral Respondent Driven Sampling. O conhecimento em HIV/Aids foi apurado a partir de dez afirmativas da entrevista realizada face a face e os escores foram obtidos utilizando o modelo logístico de dois parâmetros (discriminação e dificuldade) da Teoria de Resposta ao Item. O funcionamento diferencial dos itens foi verificado, analisando as curvas características dos itens pela idade e escolaridade. RESULTADOS Os escores de conhecimento estimados pela Teoria de Resposta ao Item não ultrapassaram o valor 6,0 (escala de 0-10), com média e mediana de 5,0 (DP = 0,9) e 5,3, respectivamente, e com 40,7% da amostra com níveis de conhecimento abaixo da média. Algumas crenças ainda existem nessa população sobre a transmissão do vírus por picadas de insetos, pelo uso de banheiros públicos e pelo compartilhamento de utensílios durante as refeições. Com relação aos parâmetros dificuldade e discriminação, oito itens ficaram abaixo da média da escala de conhecimento e considerados muito fáceis, e quatro itens apresentaram parâmetros de discriminação muito baixos (< 0,34). A ausência de itens difíceis contribuiu para a imprecisão da medida do conhecimento entre aqueles com nível médio e superior. CONCLUSÕES A análise da Teoria de Resposta ao Item, centrada nas propriedades individuais de cada item, permite a obtenção de medidas que não variam ou dependem do questionário utilizado, o que proporciona uma melhor apuração e precisão dos escores de conhecimento. Escalas válidas e confiáveis são fundamentais para monitorar o conhecimento em HIV/Aids nessa população ao longo do tempo e em diferentes regiões geográficas, vantagem que esse modelo psicométrico traz

Gender differences in non-adherence among Brazilian patients initiating antiretroviral therapy

OBJECTIVE: We conducted a study to identify gender differences in factors associated with the first episode of non-adherence in the 12 months following the first antiretroviral prescription. METHODS: A concurrent prospective study of patients initiating antiretroviral therapy in Brazil was conducted from 2001-2002. The self-reported measurement of adherence was defined as an intake of less than 95% of the prescribed number of doses. Only the first occurrence of non-adherence was considered in this analysis. All analyses were stratified by gender. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the risk of non-adherence, and the time to non-adherence was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of non-adherence was 34.6% (29.7% and 43.9% among men and women, respectively; p=0.010). Marital status (being married or in stable union; p=0.022), alcohol use in the month prior to the baseline interview (p=0.046), and current tobacco use (p=0.005) increased the risk of non-adherence among female participants only, whereas a self-reported difficulty with the antiretroviral treatment was associated with non-adherence in men only. For both men and women, we found that a longer time between the HIV test and first antiretroviral therapy prescription (p=0.028) also presented an increased risk of non-adherence. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort study, the incidence of non-adherence was 1.5 times greater among women compared to men. Our results reinforce the need to develop interventions that account for gender differences in public referral centers. Additionally, we emphasize that, to achieve and maintain appropriate adherence levels, it is important to understand the barriers to seeking and utilizing health care services

Correlates of hepatitis B among patients with mental illness in Brazil

Objective: To assess correlates of hepatitis B among adults with mental illness under care in Brazil. Method: Cross-sectional national multicenter study of 2206 patients with mental illnesses randomly selected from 26 public mental health services. Sociodemographic and behavioral data were obtained from face-to-face interviews and psychiatric diagnoses from medical charts. Serology testing was conducted, and prevalence rate ratios were estimated by log-binomial regression. Results: The weighted prevalence rates of current hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (HBsAg +) and previous HBV exposure (anti-HBc +) were 2.0% [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.5%–2.7%] and 17.1% (95% CI: 16.0%–19.0%), respectively. Correlates of HBsAg + included male gender, younger age (18–29 years), unstable place of residence, intellectual disability, main psychiatric diagnosis of dementia, presence of other medical comorbitidy, use of alcohol/drugs during sex, more than one sexual partner and use of cocaine. Correlates of anti-HBc + included male gender, older age (≥ 30 years), black skin color, lower education, unstable place of residence, currently hospitalized, intellectual disability, history of any sexually transmitted disease or syphilis, poor HIV knowledge, history of imprisonment and sexual violence. Conclusions: Hepatitis B is an important comorbidity among psychiatric patients in Brazil. Screening for HBV, effective prevention and intervention strategies, including universal HBV immunization, should be routine practices in these mental health services

INTERAÇÕES SOCIAIS E A ADESÃO À TERAPIA ANTIRRETROVIRAL DE PESSOAS VIVENDO COM HIV/AIDS

RESUMO Apesar do aumento de acessibilidade aos regimes de tratamento antirretrovirais, a adesão continua a ser um desafio para os sistemas de saúde no Brasil. Dificuldades relacionadas à baixa adesão entre os pacientes que vivem com HIV/Aids incluem a adaptação ao tratamento e interações sociais mais pobres, devido, geralmente, ao estigma da doença. Esses e outros aspectos psicossociais dos indivíduos são expressos em suas interações sociais, objeto deste estudo qualitativo. Os participantes foram pacientes de serviços de referência para o tratamento do HIV. Realizaram-se 30 entrevistas, sendo definidas categorias empíricas a partir da análise de conteúdo realizada. Observou-se que os pacientes que se distanciaram de seus parceiros, família, amigos e vizinhos, em oposição a partilhar a sua experiência com a doença, experimentaram diminuição de apoio de sua rede social. Esses dados salientaram a necessidade de melhorar a educação do paciente e incentivar intervenções mais eficientes, favorecendo o trabalho multidisciplinar e uma abordagem integrada dos cuidados de saúde, para promover maior adesão ao tratamento