title: [Assessment of adherence to antihypertensive therapy].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lack of adherence with medications is the main cause of antihypertensive treatment failure.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess adherence to antihypertensive drugs and its determinants.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Morinsky-Green questionnaire to determine treatment adherence was applied to 310 hypertensive patients from primary care centers, aged 60 ± 10 years (65% females) in treatment for 4 ± 1 months. Socio-demographic features, use of medications and quality of life using EQ5D questionnaire were also assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty percent of patients were diabetic and 19% were smokers. Fifty four percent were adherent to therapy. A higher age and being unemployed were associated with a higher compliance. The main reasons to justify the lack of adherence were forgetting to take the pills in 67% and adverse effects in 10%. Only diastolic pressure was lower in adherent patients, compared with their non-adherent counterparts (78 ± 12 and 81 ± 17 mmHg, respectively p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Only half of hypertensive patients comply with their antihypertensive therapy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Varleta
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Akel
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Acevedo
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Salinas
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pino
authors.forename: Viviana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Opazo
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Echegoyen
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Lissette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gramusset
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: León
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cofré
authors.forename: Hilda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Neira
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Retamal
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Petit
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moya
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000502:physiology; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014478:Unemployment / Q000523:psychology; D016903:Drug Monitoring
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents