AIDS and Behavior, July 2007, Vol.11, 4, p. 603-10.

[Guest guest]

AIDS and Behavior, July 2007, Vol.11, 4, p. 603-10.

The Impact of Chronic Hepatitis C on Health-Related Quality of Life in Homeless and Marginally Housed Individuals with HIV.

Tsui JI, Bangsberg DR, Ragland K, Hall CS, Riley ED.

San Francisco Veterans Administration Medical Center, University of California San Francisco, judith.tsui@... .

Although infection with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) frequently co-exist, there has been little research to determine the effects of HIV/HCV co-infection on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). We performed a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from 216 participants enrolled in a community based study of HIV-infected homeless and marginally housed individuals, using multivariable linear regression analysis to determine if co-infection with HCV was independently associated with lower short-form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire scores. We found that individuals with HCV had significantly lower mean SF-36 scores in the domains of physical functioning, bodily pain, social functioning and role limitation due to emotional health, and that HIV/HCV co-infection was independently associated with a lower physical component score but not a lower mental component score after controlling for numerous covariates. These results suggest that co-infection with HCV may have an adverse effect on HRQOL among homeless and marginally housed individuals with HIV.