COMPLIANCE OF HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS TO THERAPY

Abstract

A cross-sectional study of hypertensive patients was conducted in Sumer Public Medical Clinic , and drug complince was estimated according to regularity of using drugs and blood pressure control . Two hundred sixty hypertensive patients were included in this study . the data were collected by using a specially designed questionnaire . the were tested using the Chi-square test . The results revealed that the mean age of the study sample was (57.7+ 10.6 years) , (55.7%) had the disase for more than 5 years . And it was found that only (39.6%) had controlled blood pressure . And (53.1%) of the patients had been treated with one drug , (62.7%) were taking a single dose/ day and (32.7%) took their drugs irregularly , of whom (55.4%) because of emergence of side effect . It was concluded that although about two thirds of the patients were compliant with their thrapy , only little mor than one third had controlled blood pressure which indicates bad management of those patients , and the number of drugs is the most important factor that highly affect the regularity of drugs taken by the patients and consequently on control of blood pressure .