Aims: This study investigated the synergistic and independent effects of adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and viral load on quality of life (QoL) among people with HIV/AIDS.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 129 patients with HIV/AIDS. The WHOQOL-BREF and the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale were used to measure QoL and adherence respectively. Information on viral load and CD4 cell count was obtained from patients' records and verified by a physician. An additive interaction method was used to estimate the synergistic effect of the linear regression.
Findings: Patients who were adhering to ART and had an undetectable viral load had significantly higher scores on four domains of QoL - environment, physical health, social relationships and psychological - than those who were non-adherent. Moreover, ART adherence and undetectable viral load had a positive synergistic effect on QoL after controlling for covariate variables.
Conclusion: Participants were more likely to have a good QoL if they had both undetectable viral loads and good ART adherence.
Keywords: Adherence; Antiretroviral therapy; CD4 cell count; HIV/AIDS; Quality of life; Viral load.