Compliance with salt restriction and drug treatment among patients with hypertension: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Hypertension affects a large part of the population, which can result in high morbidity and mortality. Along with regular intake of medications, compliance with salt restriction has been determined to be vital in blood pressure control. This study aims to evaluate compliance with salt restriction and drug treatment among patients with hypertension.Methods: This study was carried out in a university hospital between 01 and 31 December 2014. The study included patients with hypertension who applied to cardiology outpatient clinic aged 35 years and over. The participants were asked about their demographic characteristics, salt consumption, and whether they take their medications regularly.Results: One hundred and one hypertesive patients were included in the study. The mean age of the participants was 62.9±11.2 years and 52 (51.5%) of them were male. The number of patients paying attention to salt restriction is 61 (60.4%). It was found that 40 (65.6%) of the rural residents and 21 (34.4%) of the urban residents pay attention to salt restriction (p=0.041). The participants who used the drugs regularly were 93 (92.1%). It was determined that there was no significant relationship between regular drug use and age, gender, living place, educational level, presence of additional disease and disease duration (p>0.05). Conclusion:Although most hypertensive patients use medication regularly, it has been observed that almost half of them do not pay attention to salt restriction. It may be beneficial to inform hypertensive patients about salt restriction at each doctor's visit.