Hypertension and quality of life issues.

A number of lifestyle modifications and a variety of highly effective and reasonably safe classes of antihypertensive agents can satisfactorily control elevated blood pressure in most patients. As clinicians evaluated their patients' response to antihypertensive regimens, in addition to measurement of the level of blood pressure and review of laboratory test values, there should be assessment of quality of life outcomes. These include the impact of therapy on the patients' daily routine; on fatigue or activity limitation; on sexual dysfunction; on impairment of memory, alertness, mood, or cognitive ability; on sleep dysfunction; work performance and satisfaction; and satisfaction with family, social, and leisure time activities.