Evaluation of sociodemographic features, general psychological status and quality of life of HIV-positive patients

In our study, epidemiological characteristics, quality of life, psychological status, evaluation of virological and immunological response to different antiretroviral treatment (ART) regimens applied to patients, treatment-related side effects, It was aimed to determine patients' compliance with treatment. Our study included 80 patients who were followed up with the diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, who were confirmed in the Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Clinic of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University Faculty of Medicine between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2020. Seventy-two (90%) men, 8 (10%) women; mean age was 44.98±12.76 years. When the number of cases is examined by years, it has been observed that there has been a significant increase in the number of new cases recently. Majority of the patients were primary school (46.2%) and secondary school graduates (21.2%). Therefore, the education and sociocultural level of the patients were low. Six (7.5%) of the cases had hepatitis B and 2 (2.5%) had hepatitis C virus infection. The most commonly used treatment regimens in our patients Tenofovir alafenamide/ Emtricitabine/ Cobicistat/ Elvitegravir (TAF/FTC/Cobi), Tenofovir dysproxil fumarate/ Emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) + Dolutegravir (DTG), TDF/FTC + Efavirenz (EFV), TDF/FTC It was / Cobi/ Elvitegravir (EVG). The mean HIV-RNA negative time was found to be statistically significantly longer in those who received the EFV+ TDF/FTC combination compared to those who received the other combinations (p=0.003). This situation was thought to be due to the delayed suppression of viral load due to the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) group regimen used in the foreground and due to the irregular drug use of the patients. The highest treatment compliance rate among the ARTs started was seen in the TDF/FTC/Cobi/EVG combination, which was thought to be due to the fact that it was a single tablet in the foreground. The most common side effects in patients who were started treatment were osteopenia and renal failure, and it was thought to be caused by TDF. The median follow-up period of our patients was 3 years (min-max, 0-17 years), and 4 (5%) of the patients died. The cause of death in all four of our patients was opportunistic infections causing burnout syndrome. Forty-seven patients resolved the SCL-90-R and SF-36 questionnaires after giving consent. Statistically significant differences were found between the mean and median of the obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, somatization, anxiety, psychoticism, paranoid thought, and depression subscales of the SCL-90-R scale that our patients resolved. Again, statistically significant differences were found between the averages and medians of physical function, physical role difficulty, pain and general health perception subscales of the SF-36 scale, which was solved by our patients. Our clinic has recently seen an increase in the number of HIV / AIDS positive cases. One of the most important reasons for this is the increase in sex tourism with neighboring countries, especially Eastern European countries, where the incidence of the disease is high. Since the education level of the patients is low, informing the patients about sexually transmitted diseases will decrease the incidence of HIV/AIDS. In addition, due to the social pressure and embarrassment on patients in our country, there are problems in diagnosis and in the sustainability of treatment. It is thought that with the widespread use of screening tests throughout the country, patients can be diagnosed at an earlier stage. We think that enough social support should be provided to increase the quality of life of patients and that all educational institutions, as well as non-governmental organizations and health centers, should be more effective in raising public awareness. In addition, regular follow-up of the diagnosed patients is not possible due to compliance problems. For example, some of our patients are seafarers and their controls and drug use are disrupted when they go on a long journey. By showing the necessary attention to these patients and allocating sufficient time, their compliance with follow-up and treatment will increase.