title: Life's quality: a major consideration in health care delivery--especially with hypertensive diseases.
abstract: The purposes of this paper are severalfold: a) to avoid a cloak of product inference; b) to focus attention on the need to keep patients on long-term (antihypertensive) therapy with as few side effects as possible; c) to acknowledge certain arguments relating to side effects, some of which have engendered concern among respected authorities in the field; d) to underscore the validity of current health care preoccupations relating to cost containment and cost effectiveness; and e) to question the wisdom of certain governments around the world in suggesting that low-cost antihypertensive medications that are already available should be used in preference to newer and more costly drugs no matter what the theoretical or clinical justification.
authors.affiliation: Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation, New Orleans, LA 70121.
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Frohlich
mesh_terms: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents