Assessment of adherence to treatment in patients with resistant arterial hypertension according to Russian-language literature. A systematic review

Objective. To study the possibility of assessing the adherence to therapy in patients with resistant hypertension (RH) according to Russian-language literature. Material and methods. RH was defined according to clinical guidelines of the Russian Medical Society on Arterial Hypertension (2021). Data were searched in electronic databases and searching engines Google Scholar, eLIBRARY.RU, Central Scientific Medical Library (database inception to 01.12.2023). According to inclusion and exclusion criteria, two independent researchers extracted the articles. Disagreements between researchers were resolved by the third researcher. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Results. Among 1610 primary identified publications, 1473 studies were screened. Finally, the authors assessed 49 full-text articles for eligibility. Four studies were selected for qualitative analysis. There were 256 patients. Adherence was assessed using the Morisky—Green questionnaire in original or modified versions. Analysis revealed significant heterogeneity in results. Discussion. Objective assessment of adherence to treatment in this disease and development of measures for its improvement are associated with certain difficulties that limits the number of available studies. The authors performed a systematic review and assessed the possibility of structuring and analyzing the information presented in modern Russian-language literature. Conclusion. Most results indicate low adherence among patients that suggests lower real prevalence of RH, as well as reduced effectiveness of treatment due to non-compliance with drug regimen.