Objective: The reproducibility and validity of a hypertension-specific questionnaire and a genetic health questionnaire (the MOS Short-form General Health Survey) were evaluated for measuring the quality of life in a randomized controlled trial comparing balloon angioplasty and long-term medication in patients with renovascular hypertension.
Methods: The health questionnaires were filled out by 97 patients with hypertension on stable medication. The reproducibility of the questionnaires was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated between the scales of the questionnaires to evaluate the validity.
Results: Medication had been changed to eliminate side-effects in an earlier phase of treatment. Only 7% of the patients reported non-compliance with the medication regime. Most patients suffered from physical symptoms, but the impact of long-term antihypertensive medication on the quality of life was not substantial. The reproducibility was good for most scales (ICC > 0.70), except for the role and social functioning scales. All correlations between the scales of the questionnaires were statistically significant and no contradictory correlations were found.
Conclusions: The health questionnaires together form a reproducible and valid instrument for measuring the quality of life of hypertensive patients on stable medication.