Key result
Antihypertensive treatment initiation in newly diagnosed patients significantly reduced office systolic blood pressure by 22 mmHg but caused a modest deterioration in health-related quality of life (EQ-5D index change -0.045).
Why the study?
Most studies on health-related quality of life in hypertension have focused on treated patients, leaving the effects of medication initiation and the first treatment year less understood.
Does the initiation of antihypertensive treatment improve health-related quality of life and cardiovascular risk factors in newly diagnosed hypertensive patients?
Observational (n=111)
Yes
Does the initiation of antihypertensive treatment improve health-related quality of life and cardiovascular risk factors in newly diagnosed hypertensive patients?
Initiation of antihypertensive treatment significantly reduces blood pressure and cardiovascular risk factors but is associated with a modest deterioration in health-related quality of life during the first year.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May warrant HRQoL monitoring when starting antihypertensives; leaves open causality and durability in randomized trials.
BACKGROUND: Effective prevention and treatment of hypertension is one of the most potential interventions in terms of preventing cardiovascular deaths and disabilities. However, the treatment control is often poor. This may be partly explained by the impact of hypertension diagnoses and treatment on health-related quality of life. Quality of life is also an important outcome for a hypertensive patient. Most of the previous studies on health-related quality of life in hypertension have concentrated on patients with treated hypertension and less is known about the initiation of medication and the first treatment year. METHODS: In this interventional study, we followed 111 primary care patients with newly diagnosed hypertension in real world primary care setting in Finland for 12 months. RESULTS: We found significant decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels, as well as modest decrease in cholesterol levels and alcohol consumption. However, the health-related quality of life also slightly deteriorated during the first treatment year. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that the initiation of hypertension treatment results in cardiovascular risk decrease among newly diagnosed Finnish hypertensive patients, but it is accompanied by small negative impact on health-related quality of life. However, the deterioration in health-related quality of life is of small magnitude and earlier research demonstrates several measures to enhance treatment and avoid impairment in health-related quality of life. Trial registration ClinicalTrials NCT02377960 (Date of registration: 04/03/2015).
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Tahkola et al. (2021) conducted an observational in Newly diagnosed hypertension (n=111). Antihypertensive treatment initiation vs. Baseline was evaluated on Change in EQ-5D index (MD -0.045, 95% CI -0.076 to -0.015, p=0.004). Antihypertensive treatment initiation in newly diagnosed patients significantly reduced office systolic blood pressure by 22 mmHg but caused a modest deterioration in health-related quality of life (EQ-5D index change -0.045).
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: