Prevalencia y factores asociados a la falta de adherencia al tratamiento farmacológico antihipertensivo en pacientes con hipertensión arterial que acuden al Hospital de Especialidades “José Carrasco Arteaga” del Instituto Ecuatoriano de Seguridad Social. Cuenca, Ecuador 2024.

Abstract

Arterial hypertension (HTN) is a serious health problem, leading to chronic complications, increasing morbidity in individuals. There are about 1.28 billion adults aged 30 to 79 years with HTN in the world, most of them from low-income countries. According to the INEC, it is the fifth cause of death in Ecuador. Lack of adherence to drug treatment represents a public health problem due to its high global prevalence (50%), especially in patients with chronic diseases, HTN being one of the most frequent, generating therapeutic failures and unnecessary costs for the health system. Factors that influence lack of adherence are described: socioeconomic level (SES), related to treatment, the patient, disease and the health team. Objective: to determine the prevalence and factors associated with lack of adherence to pharmacological treatment in patients with hypertension who attend the “José Carrasco Arteaga” Specialty Hospital (HEJCA) of the Ecuadorian Social Security Institute, Cuenca, Ecuador 2024. Methodology: descriptive cross-sectional study in hypertensive patients who agreed to participate in the study at HEJCA. The ARMS-e scale was used to determine the prevalence and factors associated with lack of adherence to pharmacological treatment in patients with hypertension. The NSE was evaluated with the Lambayeque questionnaire, updated version 2011-2012. Results: the prevalence of lack of adherence was 35.3%, being higher in the female gender, urban area, intermediate educational level, patients with other comorbidities, low socioeconomic level, although there was no statistically significant difference.