Perceived symptoms and health-related quality of life reported by uncomplicated hypertensive patients compared to normal controls.
OBJECTIVE
This study compared the prevalence and intensity of symptoms and the health-related quality of life (HQL) of patients taking antihypertensive medications and patients without disease.


METHODS
This cross-sectional study used surveys mailed to patient's homes. All consecutive patients over age 30 years attending either a general medicine or hypertension clinic during 3 months were eligible (n = 437). Hypertension group (HTN-G) patients were diagnosed with primary hypertension, prescribed antihypertensive medications, and had no other symptomatic conditions or drug therapies. Control group (CNTL-G) patients were seen in the general medicine clinic and had no chronic symptomatic conditions or drug therapies. Measures included the Symptom Distress Checklist (SDC, list of 51 symptoms, frequency, and level of distress), the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36), medications, blood pressures, and other data obtained from medical records and patient self-report.


RESULTS
A total of 222 patients responded (46% CNTL-G, 55% HTN-G). HTN-G patients were somewhat older (59.0 +/- 11.2 vs 48.5 +/- 11.7 years, P = 0.001) and had a higher percent of minorities (24.8% vs 13.5%, P = 0.02), but otherwise similar. After adjusting for age and race differences, HTN-G patients reported significantly more symptoms (8.8 +/- 7.8 vs 4.7 +/- 4.8, P = 0.001) and related distress (32.2 +/- 4.2 vs 12.0 +/- 18.2, P = 0.001) as well as lower scores (reduced HQL) for most of the SF-36 domains. In general, hypertensive patients had more physical, but not mental symptoms than control patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Hypertensive patients receiving antihypertensive medications have more symptoms and lower HQL. Differences were detected by both a brief, general HQL instrument and a detailed, disease-specific instrument. Routine screening of treated hypertensive patients using a brief HQL questionnaire to detect physical symptoms may prove feasible and useful.
Erickson
S R
SR
University of Michigan, College of Pharmacy, 428 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1065, USA. serick@umich.edu
Williams
B C
BC
Gruppen
L D
LD
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents