The impact of antihypertensive drug therapy on quality of life.
Optimal pharmacologic management of hypertension cannot be limited to the consideration of physiologic and metabolic profiles. The impact of antihypertensive drug treatment on quality of life is also of primary concern because it affects patient compliance and therapeutic outcome. Fortunately, quality-of-life measures are increasingly being used in clinical trials of antihypertensive agents (and other drugs). Such studies have revealed that on the whole, antihypertensive drug therapy has a slightly favorable impact on sleep, psychomotor skills, general well-being, and mood. Individually, however, antihypertensive agents from the same class have subtly different effects on various quality-of-life parameters. Interestingly, patients' perception of changes in their quality of life often diverges widely from their physician's perception and those of their spouse, relatives, and friends- so who administers the measures to whom is an important consideration. Refinement of quality-of-life measures plus a wide selection of antihypertensive agents promises increased flexibility in drug regimen design to physicians who treat hypertensive patients.
Scherger
J E
JE
Department of Family Medicine, University of California, Irvine, College of Medicine, Orange, CA 92868, USA. scherger@uci.edu
D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011788:Quality of Life
D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents