Factors Influencing Adherence to Treatment and Quality of Life for a Group of Patients with Essential Hypertension in Romania

Liana Suciu,1 Maria Suciu,1 Mirela Voicu,1 Raluca Mureșan,2 Florina Viorica Pârv,3 Valentina Buda,1 Carmen Cristescu1 1Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Victor Babeș, Timisoara, Romania; 2Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, West University, Timisoara, Romania; 3Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Victor Babeș, Timișoara, RomaniaCorrespondence: Maria Suciu; Mirela VoicuDepartment of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Victor Babeș, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 1-3, Timișoara, RomâniaTel +40723319050; +40745763424Email suciu.maria@umft.ro; mavoicu@yahoo.comPurpose: Romania has a high prevalence of hypertension (45.1% in 2016). Whether this is attributable to a low rate of treatment adherence—which can aggravate the pathology and reduce patients’ quality of life (QoL)—is unknown. To address this point, the present study investigated the factors that influence short- and long-term adherence and QoL in patients with arterial hypertension using a specially designed questionnaire.Patients and Methods: The study enrolled 289 patients at different stages of hypertension with or without comorbidities. The diagnosis of hypertension was established by the cardiologist, and treatment regimens were communicated by patients to the clinical pharmacist who administered the questionnaire, which comprised 7 domains with variable numbers of items.Results: The majority of surveyed patients (57.43%) considered that their capacity for effort was decreased because of their hypertension, with 65.05% reporting that they were affected by symptoms associated with high blood pressure (eg, headache and dizziness). Most patients (71.28%) understood the consequences of discontinuing their medication and the severe complications of hypertension, and 69.55% indicated that they would not stop treatment if they experienced side effects. For 53.28% of patients, social activity was significantly affected by their condition. Only 47.05% of patients underwent regular mandatory medical examinations and 55.36% periodically monitored their blood pressure at home. A regression analysis revealed correlations between specific questionnaire items and patient characteristics.Conclusion: Nonpharmacologic factors that were shown to influence patients’ adherence to treatment and QoL included the level of health education and knowledge of disease complications, self-monitoring of hypertension, and consultation with medical and pharmaceutical healthcare providers regarding hypertension and its treatment.Keywords: arterial hypertension, quality of life, adherence, medication