Abstract
Introduction: Hypertension is a significant risk factor for stroke, myocardial infarction, and heart failure. Maintaining adequate blood pressure helps preventing cardiovascular complications. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge about hypertension and associated factors in controlling high blood pressure among hypertensive outpatients in the municipality of Bačka Topola, Republic of Serbia. Methods: The outpatients who visited their doctors and agreed to fill out an anonymous questionnaire were included in the survey conducted in March 2019 at the Primary Health Care Center of the municipality of Bačka Topola. The questions were related to the sociodemographic characteristics and medication-associated factors of significance for assessment of the outpatients' knowledge about antihypertensive drugs. Results: The mean age of patients was 62.9±10.7 years. Most frequently prescribed antihypertensive drugs were ACE inhibitors (80.8%) followed by beta blockers (46.8%), calcium channel blockers (22.6%) and diuretics (21%), fixed dose antihypertensive drugs were used by 4.8% patients. Majority of adequate knowledge participants had well controlled blood pressure (91.4%), while only 37.1% of average knowledge participants had well controlled blood pressure. The other factors related to poor blood pressure control and lower level of knowledge about hypertension were older age, female gender, lower level of education, less frequent visits to the GP, patients with more than one antihypertensive drug, patients with longer duration of hypertension treatment and patients who were not paying copayment for their antihypertensive drugs. Conclusions: The results of our study indicate that the patients' knowledge about hypertension and associated factors regarding the treatment of hypertension play an important role in maintaining blood pressure at the safe level. Therefore, educational campaigns are the key factors for the quality and satisfactory knowledge about use of antihypertensive drugs and management of hypertension.
Highlights
Hypertension and its complications are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Republic of Serbia
According to the Institute of Public Health, 52.012 people in the Republic of Serbia died of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in 2016, which makes a half (51.7%) of all deaths [4]
The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of knowledge about hypertension and associated factors in controlling high blood pressure levels among hypertensive outpatients in the municipality of Bačka Topola, Republic of Serbia
Summary
Hypertension and its complications are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Republic of Serbia. According to a survey conducted in 2006 in Serbia, 46.5% of the population over the age of 20 had high blood pressure or were taking antihypertensive drugs, while a 2013 study showed even a slight increase in the incidence of high blood pressure (47.5%)[2,3]. According to the Institute of Public Health, 52.012 people in the Republic of Serbia died of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in 2016, which makes a half (51.7%) of all deaths [4]. Antihypertensive drugs effectively reduce or delay cardiovascular complications associated with hypertension, reducing the incidence of myocardial infarction and stroke [6]. Despite neither of the main types of antihypertensives had been favored in clinical guidelines, angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) were the most commonly used drug group [7]
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