Cost-benefit of treating hypertension.

AIM

To review earlier studies on the costs and benefits of treating hypertension and present new estimates of cost-effectiveness in relation to age, sex and level of blood pressure.

METHODS

The cost-effectiveness of different classes of drugs was examined, according to different assumptions about risk reduction. Cost-effectiveness was measured as cost per life-year gained and is based on the observed reductions in risk due to intervention. An extensive sensitivity analysis was performed. Swedish cost data were used for the estimates, and assumptions about clinical effects were based on a recent review of the literature.

CONCLUSIONS

An economic evaluation of antihypertensive treatment indicates that it is cost-effective to treat patients with a diastolic blood pressure of > or = 90 mmHg, except patients under 45 years of age. The presence of other risk factors increases the cost-effectiveness.