Durability of Improvement Achieved in a Clinical Trial: Is Compliance an Issue?

Conclusions

In our study the significantly reduced blood pressure in the clinical trial did not persist when followed up in clinical practice. At follow-up one third of the patients had blood pressure values similar to those before active treatment. Effects seen in short-term clinical trials, therefore, may not translate to long-term benefits in clinical practice. Noncompliance with treatment may be a factor in these results. Since this is a pilot study, larger studies on this topic would be of value to confirm the results.