Compliance with antihypertensive therapy among elderly Medicaid enrollees: the roles of age, gender, and race.
OBJECTIVE
This study measured compliance and related demographic factors in a retrospective cohort of 4068 elderly outpatients newly starting antihypertensive therapy from 1982 through 1988.


METHODS
Logistic regression modeling of data from the New Jersey Medicaid program was used.


RESULTS
These patients filled antihypertensive prescriptions covering an average of only 179 days in the 365-day follow-up period (49%) Good compliance (> or = 80%) was associated with advanced age (odds ratio [OR] = 2.12, for patients 85 or older) and White race (OR = 0.55 for Blacks). There was no relationship between compliance and gender.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite the efficacy of antihypertensive therapy in preventing cardiovascular morbidity, such high rates of noncompliance may contribute to suboptimal patient outcomes.
Monane
M
M
Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Bohn
R L
RL
Gurwitz
J H
JH
Glynn
R J
RJ
Levin
R
R
Avorn
J
J
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012646:Self Administration; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents