A Novel Measurement Index for Antihypertensive Medication Burden and Its Use

Abstract

To the Editor: With the widespread use of blood pressure medications, it has become extremely difficult to assess the effects of elevated blood pressure on physiological and pathological phenomena without the confounding effects of antihypertensives. In both observational studies and randomized clinical trials, attempts to account for the antihypertensive effects have ranged from overly simplified dichotomous measures (either on or not on treatment) to tedious formulas that, in most instances, cannot be calculated in the population studied. Here, we propose a novel yet simple measurement index that not only takes into consideration whether an individual is on treatment but also accounts for the number and doses of each antihypertensive medication taken. We are suggesting that this measure maybe superior to the dichotomous measure and can be used to prospectively assess changes in blood pressure treatment. The developed measure was used in an ongoing trial, the Antihypertensive and Vascular, Endothelial, …