Health-related quality of life and hypertension status, awareness, treatment, and control: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001--2004.
OBJECTIVE
We examined health-related quality of life measures by hypertension status, awareness, treatment, and control.


METHODS
Five unfavorable health-related quality of life measures were analyzed among 8303 adults aged 20 years or older who participated in the 2001--2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Multivariable logistic regression analyses examined differences in health-related quality of life with adjustment for age, race, sex, healthcare coverage, and other medical conditions.


RESULTS
The 30% of respondents with hypertension were more likely to report fair or poor health status (adjusted odds ratio 1.72, 95% confidence interval 1.44-2.05), 14 or more unhealthy days in the past 30 days (1.23, 1.06-1.43), 14 or more physically unhealthy days (1.39, 1.15-1.67), and 14 or more activity-limited days (1.55, 1.17-2.04) than those without hypertension. Among adults with hypertension, the 73.2% who were aware of their condition were more likely to report fair or poor health status (2.19, 1.54-3.12), 14 or more unhealthy days (1.53, 1.12-2.09), 14 or more physically unhealthy days (1.49, 1.10-2.03), 14 or more mentally unhealthy days (1.70, 1.05-2.75), and 14 or more activity-limited days (2.38, 1.39-4.05) than those who were unaware. Among those aware they had hypertension, 14 or more physically unhealthy days (0.50, 0.28-0.90) was associated with current treatment. Health-related quality of life measures did not differ by blood pressure control status.


CONCLUSIONS
Having hypertension and being aware of it was related to lower health-related quality of life. Antihypertensive medication was associated with more physically unhealthy days, while there were no differences in health-related quality of life by control status. Further study is needed to examine these differences including: disease severity, sex and racial/ethnic differences, comorbidities not examined, and impact of health-related quality of life and its changes on outcomes.
Hayes
Donald K
DK
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease & Health Promotion, Division for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30341, USA. bknO@CDC.GOV
Denny
Clark H
CH
Keenan
Nora L
NL
Croft
Janet B
JB
Greenlund
Kurt J
KJ
D000328:Adult; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D007341:Insurance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D011788:Quality of Life; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001741:Black or African American
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents