Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 14, 2026
Improved Home Blood Pressure Control by CT-guided Ozone-mediated Renal Denervation for Patients with Resistant Hypertension
Published on: June 6, 2025
Modest Effects of Intensive Blood Pressure-Lowering on Quality of Life in Patients at High Cardiovascular Risk: The
Xinghe Huang1, Haibo Zhang2, Yan Li2
1National Clinical Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China; School of Nursing, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Insights
Intensive blood pressure (BP) treatment targeting <120 mm Hg improved health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in high-risk patients. Standard BP treatment showed a decrease in HRQoL over time.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Public Health
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Intensive blood pressure (BP)-lowering treatment offers cardiovascular benefits.
- The impact of aggressive BP targets on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare intensive versus standard BP-lowering strategies.
- To assess long-term changes in HRQoL in hypertensive patients at high cardiovascular risk.
Main Methods:
- The ESPRIT trial was an open-label, randomized controlled trial.
- Participants were assigned to intensive (SBP <120 mm Hg) or standard (SBP <140 mm Hg) BP treatment.
- HRQoL was measured using the EQ-5D-5L, with covariance analyses applied.
Main Results:
- Over 3.4 years, the intensive group's EQ-5D visual analog scale (VAS) scores increased (+0.56), while the standard group's decreased (-0.50).
- Intensive treatment showed a statistically significant mean difference of 1.26 in EQ-5D VAS scores (P < 0.001).
- Intensive treatment was associated with a 16% higher likelihood of meaningful improvement in EQ-5D VAS scores compared to standard treatment (P = 0.007).
Conclusions:
- Intensive BP treatment targeting SBP <120 mm Hg yielded modest HRQoL benefits.
- These findings are relevant for hypertensive patients with high cardiovascular risk.
Background:
Cumulative evidence supports the beneficial effects of intensive blood pressure (BP)-lowering treatment to prevent cardiovascular events and death; however, the effects of a more aggressive BP target on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) remain unclear.
Objectives:
This study aimed to compare the effects of intensive vs standard BP-lowering treatment strategies on long-term change in HRQoL among hypertensive patients with high cardiovascular risk.
Methods:
The ESPRIT (Effects of Intensive Systolic Blood Pressure Lowering Treatment in Reducing Risk of Vascular Events) trial was an open-label, blinded-outcome, randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either intensive BP-lowering treatment (targeting standard office systolic blood pressure [SBP] to <120 mm Hg) or standard BP-lowering treatment (targeting office SBP to <140 mm Hg). HRQoL was assessed by using the 5-level EuroQol Five Dimensions Questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L) at baseline and the final follow-up visit. Covariance analyses were applied to evaluate the effect of treatment assignment on changes in HRQoL.
Results:
The current study included 5,398 participants in the intensive treatment group and 5,406 participants in the standard treatment group. Over 3.4 years of follow-up, the EQ-5D visual analog scale scores increased by 0.56 point in the intensive treatment group and decreased by 0.50 point in the standard treatment group, resulting in a mean difference of 1.26 (95% CI: 0.55 to 1.98; P < 0.001). Compared with the standard treatment, the intensive treatment was associated with a 16% higher likelihood of meaningful improvement than worsening in EQ-5D visual analog scale (relative risk: 1.16; 95% CI: 1.04-1.30; P = 0.007). Categorical changes from baseline to the final follow-up visit in 5 domains between the 2 groups showed no statistical differences.
Conclusions:
Intensive BP treatment, targeting office SBP to <120 mm Hg, produced modest benefits to HRQoL among hypertensive patients with high cardiovascular risk. (Effects of Intensive Systolic Blood Pressure Lowering Treatment in Reducing Risk of Vascular Events [ESPRIT]; NCT04030234).
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:28Hypertension IV: Drug Therapy and Lifestyle Modifications
01:25Errors occurring during blood pressure monitoring
Several factors...
01:17Measurement of Blood Pressure
01:30Heart Failure V: Medical Management
01:28Factors affecting Blood pressure
Physiological Factors:
01:30Hypertension III: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies