Hypertension is one of the major killers in the modern world and one of the great ironies of the disease is that it has little or no immediate effect on affected individuals' quality of life (QOL). This makes treatment very difficult, as most medications will affect QOL negatively, either through side effects or through the change in life-style associated with chronic drug regimens. This review describes some of the conceptual background for QOL measurements and looks at the effects on QOL of different antihypertensive treatments available today. The latest addition to the range of antihypertensive drugs, angiotensin II-receptor blockers, may be a significant step forward in treatment, as their ease of dosing and excellent tolerability minimise negative effects on patients while their possible benefits on factors such as sexual function may even improve QOL in hypertensive patients.