Psychoimmunology Consultation - A Study on Comorbidity

Introduction: In comparison to the general population, notified HIV-positive patients have higher prevalence rates for most mental disorders, with values reaching 30-60%. Objectives: To characterize the population that is referred to Psychiatry-Psychoimmunology consultation; to explore the possible relationship between psychiatric diagnosis, antiretroviral treatment and HCV co-infection, with sociodemographic and clinical variables. Methods: We have selected HIV-positive patients referred for the first time to Psychiatry-Psychoimmunology consultation, between January 2012 and July 2015. Information was collected through the clinical process in electronic form. Statistical analy- sis was performed using the statistical analysis program Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 20. Results: The sample contained 209 patients, with a median age of 43 years, mostly men, with four years of schooling, single, professionally inactive, infected via heterosexual behavior. However, we found statistically significant differences between sexes for the last three variables. The majority was under antiretroviral treatment, with no significant differences between sexes. In the first consultation, 29.0% and 30.1% had, respectively, substance use and HCV co-infection, with a significant predominance in men. Depressive symptoms and adjustment disorder to the disease constituted, respectively, the referral reason and the most common psychiatric diagnosis, in both sexes. More than half had psychiatric history. HCV co-infection showed a statistical significant correlation between variables like sex, occupational status, infection transmission route, psychiatric history and use of alcohol and/or illicit drugs. The same was true between the psychiatric diagnosis and some variables like infection notification time, alcohol and/or drugs and HCV co-infection. Conclusions: During the course of infection, these patients often face multiple stress- ors that can make them more vulnerable to mental illness. The availability of an effective psychiatric care is therefore crucial, and it is necessary to increase the future research in this area.