Antihypertensive Treatment Compliance in Stroke Patients With Hypertension

Aim Stroke is responsible for approximately 6 millions of all the annual deaths worldwide. An effective method to prevent stroke and its comorbidities is the adequate control of the risk factors. This study aimed to evaluate the compliance of stroke patients in their antihypertensive treatment and the frequency of measuring blood pressure. Material and methods Patient’s files were retrieved from the hospital patients database using the ICD codes (I60-64, I67-69). In total, 5289 files were accessed. The age, sex, hypertension diagnosis, treatment compliance, the frequency of blood pressure measurements, and the presence of hypertensive crisis during admission were evaluated. Compliance with drug treatment and blood pressure monitoring was directly asked to patients, and when this was not possible, such as in patients with aphasia or coma, questions were asked to their relatives. Results In this study, 478 files (female: male, 201 (42.1%):277 (57.9%)) with complete data were included. Among the patients, 76.3% had a good to very good treatment compliance and 29.8% had a good to very good frequency of blood pressure measurement. During admission, 23% of patients were in hypertensive crisis. Discussion In patients with poor drug compliance and who did not have their blood pressure regularly measured, hypertensive crises occurred significantly more often. Strict blood pressure monitoring and regular doctor follow-ups are neglected by patients. Conclusion Drug compliance is insufficient to prevent stroke and blood pressure monitoring and follow-ups are also important points to consider.