Syndemic conditions and quality of life in the PISCIS Cohort of people living with HIV in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands: a cross sectional study

Background People living with HIV (PLWH) face structural and psychosocial factors that affect health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We aimed to evaluate how syndemic conditions affected HRQoL in PLWH. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 861 PLWH, to determine whether syndemic conditions (monthly income; sexual satisfaction; depressive symptoms; social role satisfaction; social isolation; cognitive function; nicotine dependence; perception of stigma) have an effect on HRQoL. A linear regression model and measures of Additive Interaction (AI) were used to determine the effects of syndemic conditions on HRQoL, controlling for other risk factors. Results Overall, the most frequently observed were stigma perception (56.9%), poor cognitive function (50.6%) and the perception of social isolation (51.6%). The presence of depressive symptoms was the risk factor most associated with worse Physical Health (PH) (B 3.93, 2.71–5.15) and Mental Health (MH) (B 5.08, 3.81–6.34) in linear regression model. Specifically, an interaction was observed between poor cognitive function and poor satisfaction with social role on worse PH and MH (AI 2.08, 0.14–4.02; AI 2.69, 0.15–5.22, respectively); and low income and perception of stigma (AI 2.98, 0.26–5.71), low income and perception of social isolation (AI 2.79, 0.27–5.32), and low income and poor satisfaction with social role (AI 3.45, 0.99–5.91) on MH. Conclusion These findings provide evidence that syndemic factors impact HRQoL. HIV prevention programs should screen and address co-occurring health problems to improve patient-centered health care and outcomes.