This paper reports on a study which compared three antihypertensive treatments: cilazapril, atenolol, and nifedipine retard. Quality of life (QOL) assessments were made four times during the study. It was found that the care effect—the act of entering the study—had a large, consistent beneficial effect on patients' QOL. Treatment by comparison had little or no effect. The study demonstrated that having a run-in period is crucial to accurately attributing improvements in QOL.
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