Adherence to therapy, lifestyle modification and medical support of cardiovascular patients

Aim. To study the quantitative parameters of adherence to lifestyle modification, medical support,  and therapy in patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Material and methods. This cross-sectional study included 683 respondents: 168 patients  with hypertension  (HTN); 196 patients  with stable angina; 141 patients with atrial fibrillation (AF); 178 patients with heart failure (HF). We used N. A. Nikolaev  questionnaire  for adherence assessment. For all adherence parameters, the level ≤75% was regarded as insufficient. The study was carried out in accordance with Good Clinical Practice and Declaration ofHelsinki. The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committees of all participating clinical centers. All patients signed written informed consent.

Results. Approximately 1/3 of respondents agreed  to receive therapy. The adherence level was >75%. Patients with angina and AF were more likely to receive therapy. It turned out that that approximately 2/3 of patients  were not ready for medical support.  Patients  with angina were less ready for medical support, while those with HTN and HF hadhigher values of adherence. Adherence to lifestyle modification was owest among analyzed parameters. Only 18,5% of hypertensive patients, 25,5% of patients with angina, 26,2% of AF patients and 23,1% of patients with HF were ready to change the lifestyle.

Conclusion. The study revealed a significant number (~2/3) of CVD patients with insufficient adherence, which specifies the need  to assess the effectiveness  of therapy and course of the disease  in conditions of low adherence and to develop individualized therapeutic strategies.

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