Role of quality of life in hypertension therapy: implication for patient compliance.

Although the cardiovascular risk factors associated with hypertension are well established, the effects of the disease are usually transparent to the patient. However, the impact of diagnosis and treatment are often overt and usually negative. Because of high rates of non-compliance following adverse experiences with treatment, patients are exposed to the kind of risk for which therapeutic intervention was originally intended. The nature of the impact of hypertension therapy has become more clearly defined as well-controlled, quality-of-life studies have been reported across a variety of therapeutic classes. These studies may be used to address the problem of patient compliance by (1) informing the physician about the likely effects a class of, or particular, compound might have, and (2) by providing a means by which the physician can monitor and intervene in the treatment process. By using quality-of-life information, the clinician can directly influence the impact of therapy on the patient, improve compliance with the therapeutic regimen, and reduce that patient's risk for cardiovascular events.