RESUMO
Patient non compliance with drug therapy has been recognized as one of the major reasons why antihypertensive therapy fails. The objective of this study was to determine the main factors affecting non compliance to antihypertensive drugs among hypertensive individuals. This cross-sectional study was carried out on hypertensive patients, in the out patient clinic of the internal medicine department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt on 164 patients from November 2004 to January 2005. An interview questionnaire was used to identify non-compliant patients from all hypertensive patients included. Their blood pressure was measured two times using a regularly titrated, mercury sphygmomanometer by the physician. The prevalence of non compliance among the studied group was 49.7%, the majority of the individuals had uncontrolled blood pressure 87% and 81% among both the non compliant and compliant groups, respectively, with no significant difference. The non compliant patients showed a poorer attitude for the intake of therapy, were current smokers and had significantly higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure [p<0.05] more than the compliant patients. The most important causes of non compliance was feeling of non improvement and intake of drugs whenever they feel bad, p<0.05. They had higher prevalence of absence of a family reminder for drug intake, lower ability to bear the side effects of drugs and less frequency of having regular check up of blood pressure [p<0.05]. The paid cost of the antihypertensive therapy by the country or health insurance is supposed to increase the compliance. However, feeling of no improvement, taking drugs whenever feeling bad and taking drugs for other diseases were the main predictors of non compliance to anti-hypertensive therapy