About 1.4 billion adults ages 30 to 79 have high blood pressure worldwide. Medicine can lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes. But about half of patients do not take it as their doctors tell them.
Researchers studied 91,339 people in nine medical studies. They compared blood pressure treatment with another approach. They put people into two groups: those who took at least 80% of their medicine and those who took less. In the first year, 88% took at least 80%. By year five, this fell to 79%.
The top number in a blood pressure reading fell more with regular medicine use. For people who took at least 80%, the treatment group's number was 5.2 points below the comparison group's. For those who took less, the difference was 3 points. Regular users also had 11% fewer serious heart and blood vessel problems with treatment. Researchers found no clear drop among less regular users.
Researchers want health workers to check medicine use more often. They also suggest teaching patients more about their treatment and making it easier to follow. Options include simpler medicine schedules, several medicines in one pill, and medicines that work longer. Health workers should discuss problems with patients without blaming them.
