Title
Hypertension and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL): Evidence from the US Hispanic Population
Publication Date
9-1-2019
Publication Name
Clinical Drug Investigation
Document Type
Article
Volume
39
Issue
9
First Page
899
Last Page
908
DOI
10.1007/s40261-019-00814-4
Abstract
© 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. Background and Objective: Little evidence exists regarding the marginal decrease in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in relation to the presence of hypertension among a Hispanic population based on US population-based research. Method: This cross-sectional study used data from the 2014 to 2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). The target population was comprised of Hispanic community-dwelling residents with hypertension in the USA. The independent variable was the presence of hypertension. The dependent variable was HRQoL, which was measured using the Short Form-12 (SF-12) physical health composite scale (PCS) and mental health composite scale (MCS). Results: A total of 13,933 members of the Hispanic population met the study inclusion criteria, and the estimated population size was 36,440,400 Hispanics. Among them, 82.9% did not have any hypertensive condition (n = 11,466), while 17.7% had some hypertensive condition (n = 2467). SF-12 PCS scores (95% CI) were 46.62 (45.68–47.57) in the Hispanic population with hypertension and 51.62 (51.1–52.14) in the Hispanic population without hypertension. SF-12 MCS scores (95% CI) were 52.67 (52.07–53.27) in patients without hypertension and 50.35 (49.45–51.26) in the Hispanic population with hypertensive conditions. Conclusion: The presence of hypertension was associated with lower HRQoL in the Hispanic population. Based on our findings, we suggest that healthcare providers should monitor a hypertensive minority population for anxiety and mood disorders and recommend psychiatric assessment and treatment if appropriate.