Drug treatment of hypertension: compliance and adverse reactions in a cohort of hypertensive patients in a primary care setting.
OBJECTIVE
The primary was to assess the frequency of therapeutic non-compliance due to ADRs in a cohort of patients with recently diagnosed systemic hypertension. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the blood pressure control during the follow-up in the whole cohort and in patients who received non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).


METHODS
A cohort of 73 recently diagnosed ambulatory hypertensive patients was followed-up for 6 months. Validated questionnaires for identification of therapeutic scheme changes and ADRs were applied monthly, during each medical visit.


RESULTS
Family physicians selected monotherapy in 79% of patients. The frequency of therapeutic non-compliance was 44%; non-compliance secondary to ADR was 7%. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure at the beginning of the study were 140 +/- 15/90 +/- 15 mm Hg for the whole cohort. At the end of the study the figures were 130 +/- 11/85 +/- 6 (p < 0.001). Patients receiving non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) had higher blood pressure levels than the groups of patients not receiving such kind of drugs (134 +/- 10 vs. 128 +/- 8 mm Hg, p = 0.025 and 88 +/- 7 vs. 83 +/- 5 mm Hg, p = 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The drugs used in the present study as monotherapy are considered acceptable choices for hypertension treatment. The frequency of therapeutic non-compliance was within the limits reported in the literature and the frequency of therapeutic non-compliance secondary to ADRs in this cohort was lower than that reported in the literature. Higher blood pressure was found in the group of patients receiving NSAIDs.
Mino-León
Dolores
D
Coordinación de Investigación en Salud, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social. minod_mx@yahoo.com
Reyes-Morales
Hortensia
H
Galván-Plata
María Eugenia
ME
Ponce-Monter
Héctor
H
Palma-Aguirre
José Antonio
JA
Amato
Dante
D
Figueras
Albert
A
D000328:Adult; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents