The measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQL) for patients infec
ted with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is still in evolution. With
the development of antiretroviral therapies and prophylaxis treatments for
opportunistic infections, for many individuals HIV infection has become a
chronic illness. Very few studies have been undertaken toward understanding
the patient's experience of integrating HIV infection as a chronic illness
into one's life and the impact of therapy on the quality of the patient's
life. To stimulate research into this area, a review of existing studies, w
ith an emphasis on different types of HRQL measurements was undertaken to i
dentify a comprehensive set of measures that allow one to examine the more
diffuse impact of the illness on activities of daily living within the soci
al, physical, mental, and existential domains.