People with high blood pressure can benefit from a new form of therapy aimed at helping them take their drugs regularly, researchers say today.
The treatment has been trialled by British experts in the country of Jordan with some success.
Experts say as many as 50 per cent of patients with high blood pressure do not take their medication properly – and fail to reduce pressure levels. Patients complain about the side-effects of treatment whilst not getting immediate benefits.
The "adherence therapy" involved 20 minute sessions for seven weeks to explain in detail about blood pressure treatment and explore the patients’ own issues.
Some 136 patients took part in the research and half of them received the therapy.
Researchers found that patients who underwent therapy took 97 per cent of their medication and cut blood pressure by about 14 per cent. This compared with a 71 per cent adherence rate for the others.
Researcher Professor Richard Gray of the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, said: "High blood pressure affects millions of people in both the developed and developing world and the problem is likely to increase dramatically over the next 15 years. Tackling the widespread failure to take medication correctly would lead to a major reduction in stroke and heart disease.
"If adherence therapy were a new drug it would be hailed as a potentially major advance in hypertension treatment."
Amy Thompson, of the British Heart Foundation, said health professionals might find other ways to encourage patients to take their medication.
She said: "We know people with high blood pressure are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke so these findings shouldn’t be ignored.
"However, we need to explore further how patients may benefit from techniques such as one-on-one support.
"If you’re taking medicines it’s vital you take them exactly as prescribed by your doctor. You could be putting your health – or even your life – at risk if you don’t."
Adherence therapy for medication non-compliant patients with hypertension: a randomised controlled trial. Fadwa Allalaiqa, Katherine Deane, Ahmed Nawafleh, Allan Clark and Richard Gray , Journal of Human Hypertension, February 2011 doi:10.1038/jhh.2010.133,
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