Health-related quality of life and blood pressure 12 months after renal denervation

To examine the effect of renal denervation (RDN) on blood pressure (BP) and health-related quality of life (QoL) in patients with resistant hypertension, pseudoresistant hypertension due to a white-coat effect and in patients with uncontrolled masked hypertension.

Using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Spielberger's state and trait anxiety questionnaires, we examined QoL, symptoms of depression and anxiety prior to and 12 months following RDN. BP was assessed from clinic and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) recordings.

Patients with uncontrolled masked hypertension had the highest BDI and anxiety scores among all groups at baseline. Twelve months following RDN clinic and ambulatory BP were reduced only in those patients with resistant hypertension (delta SBP: clinic -16 ± 3 mmHg, ABPMday -8 ± 2 mmHg, ABPMnight -8 ± 2 mmHg, all P < 0.01). Clinic BP was reduced in the pseudoresistant group (-17 ± 6 mmHg, P < 0.01) but was elevated in the uncontrolled masked group (+13 ± 6 mmHg, P = 0.02). In all patients, trait anxiety (P < 0.05), BDI scores (P < 0.05) and the SF-36 mental component summary (MCS) score (P < 0.001) were improved. The improvement in the SF-36 MCS was confined to those patients with resistant hypertension (+4.0 ± 1.1, P < 0.01). The change in clinic BP after RDN was related to the baseline clinic BP (systolic: r = 0.54, P < 0.001; diastolic r = 0.43, P < 0.001), the number of ablations delivered (both clinic and mean day ABPM systolic r = 0.24, P < 0.05) and to the change in SF-36 MCS score (systolic: r = 0.25, P = 0.01; diastolic r = 0.24, P = 0.02).

These results indicate that in patients with confirmed resistant hypertension, RDN is associated with a reduction in BP and a sustained improvement in mental health-related aspects of QoL.