Because of multi-drug regimens known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), HIV infection can now be considered a chronic, manageable disease for many people in the United States. However, these therapies come with complex medication regimens and numerous distressing side effects that may affect quality of life (QOL). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the QOL and symptom distress in individuals receiving structured intermittent (SIT) versus continuous HAART in the treatment of HIV disease. This was a companion study to a randomized trial comparing SIT with continuous HAART. Adult HIV patients in the outpatient clinic completed questionnaires measuring QOL and symptom distress using Touch Screen computers at 7 timepoints over an 88 week period. Data collection for this study was stopped because of early termination of the parent protocol. Data were analyzed on 52 subjects enrolled. Two abstracts have been accepted for presentation at national meetings. A manuscript is in development.
| Powers, April E; Marden, Susan F; McConnell, Rose et al. (2006) Effect of long-cycle structured intermittent versus continuous HAART on quality of life in patients with chronic HIV infection. AIDS 20:837-45 |
