Antihypertensive Treatment, Medication Non-Adherence and Factors Leading to Non-Adherence Among Elderly

Background: Hypertension is a common chronic health condition among older people and is the most im- portant risk factor for all subtypes of vascular disease and death. According WHO (2003), the hypertension afflicts approximately 600 million people around the world, including the majority of elderly, and imposes enormous burdens through associated cardiovascular diseases. Objectives of the study: are tofind out the proportion of non-adherents to anti-hypertensives, to compare the adherence between the hypertensives without comorbidities and with comorbidities and to explore the key factors leading to non-adherence. Methods: Cross sectional survey design with quota sampling technique was used to collect data from120 elderly hypertensives at- tending Medicine OPDs of Kasturba Hospital, Manipal. Results:The study findings revealed that only 50.8% were adherent to antihy- pertensives.It was also found that the adherence level among hypertensives without comorbidities (56.25%) was bettercomparing to the adherence level among hypertensives with comorbidities(48.86%). All of the non-adherents expressed that forgetting to take the medications as the major factor for their non-adherence. Conclusion: Poor adherence to anti-hypertensive therapy is one of the biggest obstacles in therapeutic control of high blood pressure. The present study finding also stresses the importance of interventions to the non-adherents.