Improving quality of life in hypertension management using a fixed-dose combination of olmesartan and amlodipine in primary care

Objectives. To assess quality of life (QoL) in unselected patients in primary care treated with a fixed-dose combination of olmesartan and amlodipine. Research design and methods. Multicenter, noninterventional, noncontrolled observational study in 8241 patients seen by 2187 physicians over 12 - 18 weeks. Main outcome measures. Changes in QoL were assessed by using the Short Form 12 (SF-12) questionnaire completed by 5434 patients (65.9%) at baseline and 4924 patients (59.8%) at the follow-up visit. Results. Patients had a mean age of 62.8 +/- 11.8 years (48.1% female), mean blood pressure [BP] at baseline was 161.8 +/- 16.6/93.6 +/- 10.2 mmHg and 74.8% had at least one co-morbid risk factor or condition. All 12 items of the SF-12 improved over the observational period (p < 0.0001) as did the physical (46.8 vs 40.4; p < 0.0001) and mental summary scores (52.4 vs 47.5; p < 0.0001). Correlations of changes in systolic and diastolic BP, pulse pressure and heart rate with scores were significant, although weak (maximum -0.2055 for physical health and changes in systolic blood pressure). Conclusions. The fixed-dose combination of olmesartan and amlodipine significantly improves QoL in an unselected population of patients in primary-care practice. This might translate into improved patient compliance and improved long-term antihypertensive efficacy.