A036: Quality of life of patients switching hypertension medications to valsartan or valsartan/HCT

An open-label, observational study was conducted to evaluate changes in the Quality of Life (QoL) of hypertensive patients switched to valsartan products from various antihypertensive therapies, including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I), calcium channel blockers (CCB), beta-blockers and fixed-dose combination medications. Measurements of QoL were taken at baseline and at follow-up using the MOS Short Form 12 (SF-12) instrument. Other endpoints of the study were antihypertensive medication-related symptomatology and blood pressure for safety purposes. 307 patients (mean age: 60.33, range: 29–92; 53% female) were switched to valsartan products. Overall, patients’ QoL improved significantly following the switch to valsartan products. The mean physical component summary (PCS) score of the SF-12 increased 2.51 points from 45.17 to 47.68 (p < 0.001) and the mental component score (MCS) increased 2.11 points from 48.86 to 50.97 (p < 0.001). Subgroup analyses based on the type of antihypertensive medication switched from showed significant increases in PCS score for patients previously taking beta-blockers and CCBs. Patients previously taking ACE-Is showed a significant improvement in MCS. In the majority of patients, symptomatology improved following the switch to valsartan products. Diastolic and systolic blood pressure control was maintained in the overall population (mean follow-up blood pressure: 139/84) and in all subgroups. When compared to the national hypertensive population norms (PCS: 46.47, MCS: 52.99), patients experienced at baseline poorer QoL for the physical component of health, as indicated by lower PCS scores, but follow-up PCS scores were higher. MCS scores improved following the medication switch but still remained lower than the norms for hypertensive patients. At baseline, patients reported poorer QoL than general population norms (PCS: 50.12, MCS: 50.04), as indicated by lower PCS and MCS scores. The MCS score increased above the norm after the switch to valsartan products. In this observational study, hypertensive patients experiencing intolerance to certain antihypertensive therapies reported diminished QoL scores compared to general norms. Switching patients to valsartan products improved QoL significantly while reducing symptomatology and maintaining blood pressure control.