Quality of Life Before and During Antihypertensive Treatment

Hypertensive patients may be adversely affected by complications and other concomitant processes such as anxiety, sedation, and drug side effects. It has been suggested that some recently developed antihypertensive agents do not affect quality of life by causing adverse effects. We compared the effects of two antihypertensive drugs on quality of life: atenolol, a standard cardioselective beta-blocker, and celiprolol, one of a new class of selective beta-blockers with vasodilatory properties. One hundred thirty-two patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension were eligible to enter a 28-week, double-blind, parallel-group study. The study protocol consisted of a 4-week period on placebo and a 24-week period of dosage-adjusted treatment with either atenolol or celiprolol. We assessed both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and quality of life perception by a selected test battery that included the Bulpitt and Fletcher Quality of Life Questionnaire. Supine blood pressure fell from 167/101 (range 120/95 to 200/116) to 150/92 mm Hg (p < 0. 0001) during celiprolol treatment. This antihypertensive effect was at least as good with celiprolol as with atenolol. Quality of life perception was comparable for the two drugs although adverse effects were seen more frequently with atenolol than with celiprolol, particularly after prolonged treatment. Patient compliance was better for celiprolol than for atenolol. Our results show that the selective beta-blocker with vasodilatory property celiprolol is at least as effective as atenolol and that it is more advantageous in terms of some quality of life variables.