Study of quality of life on rural hypertensive patients. Comparison with the general population of the same environment.

A comparative study about quality of life was made in the community of Riosa--north of Spain--on two groups of subjects: one affected by hypertension (n = 115), stage I and II of WHO, and another of the general population, matched in age, sex and residence with the former group and of the same size. The subjects with loss of self-care or mobility were excluded. The quality of life was evaluated with a standardized measurement approach referring to the spheres of physical, emotional, social and sexual functions. With this study the validation of the Spanish version of the questionnaire was made and the results obtained were found to be more or less the same as those reported by authors in other European countries of similar sociodemographic conditions. Hypertensive patients reported significant lower scores of quality of life than the general population in more than half of the dimensions explored: well-being and physical capacity, social functioning, positive mood and psychological functioning. In conclusion, despite the many limitations inherent to this area of research, a standardized and valid measure of relevant aspects of quality of life in the general population and especially in patients with hypertension, is available in the Spanish language.