Quality of life measurement in patients with hypertension in Cyprus

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases and hypertension may have a significant impact on the quality of life of those who suffer from these conditions. The aim of the present study was to measure health-related quality of life among Cypriot patients suffering from hypertension and/or dyslipidaemia, as well as to investigate any temporal changes in their quality of life at 3 and 6 months from the initial visit. Methods: A stratified random sampling method was used in this follow-up multi-centre study to select a representative sample of physicians who treat patients with hypertension in both public and private sector outpatient hospital clinics and physician offices. The participants were diagnosed by the physician according to the 2007 European guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension. The EQ-5D questionnaire was employed to measure self-assessed quality of life among these patients. Six hundred and fifty-four patients were recruited by physicians and agreed to participate, while 528 of them successfully completed EQ-5D at baseline and two subsequent phases (at 3 and 6 months), representing a response rate of 80.7%. Results: A total of 39.6% of the respondents reported problems in one or more of the EQ-5D dimensions. This was more apparent in the case of anxiety and depression. There appeared to be statistically significant improvements with regard to mobility, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression dimensions between the initial visit and on first follow up, as well as subsequently. Median (interquartile range) EQ-5D index scores were 0.97 (0.19), 0.97 (0.19) and 0.97 (0.17) at first visit, first follow-up and second follow-up respectively (p<0.001). Also, median EQ-5D VAS scores were 80 (20), 85 (10) and 90 (15) at the initial, first follow-up and second follow-up visit respectively (p<0.001). Median EQ-5D VAS scores increased over time amongst all socio-demographic and risk groups of participants. Conclusion: Hypertension had little association with mobility and physical activities, indicating that performing physical activities was not limited by hypertension. However, hypertension seems to be more strongly related to anxiety and depression.