Health-Related Quality of Life in the Gender, Race, And Clinical Experience Trial

Background . We report health-related QoL (HRQoL) from GRACE ( G ender, R ace, A nd C linical E xperience) study by sex and race over 48 weeks. Methods . 429 treatment-experienced adults (HIV-1 RNA ≥ 1000 copies/mL) received darunavir/ritonavir 600/100 mg twice daily plus an appropriate background regimen. QoL was measured by the Functional Assessment of HIV Infection (FAHI) questionnaire. Results . 67% women and 77% men, including 67.4% black, 76.0% Hispanic, and 73.8% white patients, completed the trial. Baseline total FAHI scores were similar between sexes and races. Total FAHI of the entire population improved by Week 4 ( P < .05); near-maximum changes obtained by Week 12 were maintained through Week 48. Women and black patients demonstrated larger improvements in total FAHI versus men, and Hispanic and white patients, respectively. Conclusion . HRQoL improved in all sex and racial/ethnic groups. Sex-based and race-based differences in improvements in FAHI subscales may provide insight into subtle differences of HIV-1 and treatment on HRQoL in different populations.