Quality of Life and Antihypertensive Therapy in Men -- A Comparison of Captopril with Enalapril

Background We conducted a multicenter trial comparing two angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors to determine whether effects on quality of life during antihypertensive therapy are uniform within this pharmacologic class of agents, and to relate the effects of the drugs on quality of life to objective adverse events, such as the loss of a job or the death of a spouse. Methods After a four-week washout period when they received placebo, 379 men with mild-to-moderately-severe hypertension were randomly assigned to receive captopril (25 to 50 mg twice daily, with or without hydrochlorothiazide) or enalapril (5 to 20 mg per day, with or without hydrochlorothiazide) for 24 weeks. Blood pressure, quality of life, and life events were monitored. Differences between treatments were evaluated by calibrating measures of quality of life with objective life events. Results Throughout the treatment period, no differences were found in blood pressure, frequency of withdrawal of patients from the study, or major side ...