Farmaco-Therapeutic Profile and Adhesion Level to Therapy by Patients Attended by Hiperdia in Lagarto, Brazil

Abstract

The success of anti-hypertension therapy depends on the drugs used and on patient ?s adhesion to treatment. Current study determines the pharmaco-therapy profile and the adhesion level of treatment of hypertensive patients by HIPERDIA in Lagarto SE Brazil. Two hundred and twenty-eight patients were interviewed by means of a questionnaire to collect socio-demographic and economic variables on life style, pathologies and pharmaco-therapies. Adhesion to pharmacological therapy was determined by the Morisky-Green (TMG) and Haynes-Sackett (THS) tests. Result were analyzed by Chi-square test and Fisher Exact test (p<0.05*). Most patients were female (70.6%), with low schooling and belonged to socio-economic class E (49.1%), white (44.7%) within the 51 - 60 year old bracket (37.7%). Prevalence of overweight/obesity was 89.1%. A life-style favorable to arterial pressure control was reported by most interviewees. Adhesion to pharmacotherapy reached only 31.2% (THS) and 27.2% (TMG) of hypertensive people. The pharmaco-therapeutic profile was characterized by monotherapy, with losartan (50%) and ECA inhibitors (18.4%). Higher adhesion rates occurred in hypertensiv people with monotherapy (p=0.016*) who used drugs of other therapeutic classes (p<0.0001*) and who exposed their doubts on drugs to the chemist (p=0.016*) and who did not have medical visits for the evaluation of the antihypertension drug used (p=0.001*). Results show low adhesion to pharmacological therapy which may be associated to low socio-economic level and schooling.