The ,Mean Systolic and Diastolic Pressures Before Drug Therapy and 1 Year After Starting Therapy in Patients Who Remained in the Program Under the Improved and Ordinary Systems Mean systolic and diastolic pressure Before 1 year after starting Mean reduction Treatment system Number of drug therapy* drug therapy*t in blood pressure and age group patients (mm Hg) (mm Hg) (mm Hg) Improved under 50 yrs 39 175/107 149/95 26/12 over 30 yrs 36 192/106 157/95 33/11 Ordinary under 50 yrs 36 175/109 146/94 29/15 over 50 yrs 34 196/108 1.58/92 38/1 *These mean values for blood pressures did not differ in the same age grouips of the different treatment systems at a statistically significant level. tThese mean values differed at a statistically significant level (p < 0.001) from the corresponding meanvalues obtained before drug therapy.mg) was the only antihypertensive drug administered to 44 patients (70%) at the end of the year; in 15 patients (24%) it was used in combination with methyldopa (chlorthalidone 25 mg and methyldopa 250-750 mg). For those whose pressure reduction had been at least 10%, the figures were 45 (62%) and 23 (32%), respectively. Of those patients under the ordinary system who had reached the target level, the antihypertensive medication consisted of chlorthalidone in 37 cases (67%) and chlorthalidone and methyldopa in 14 cases (25%). The figures for those with a pressure reduction of at least 10% were 39 (58%) and 21 (31%), respectively. In six patients of the 144 (4%) who remained in the treatment program and whose treatment was started with chlorthalidone (in one patient with liver disease, treatment was initiated with alprenolol) the drug had to be discontinued because of headache (two patients) or hypokalemia (four patients). Their treatment was continued with Moduretic or methyldopa or both. Among the patients who received chlorthalidone there was, in addition to the cases mentioned, one patient with hypokalemia whose antihypertensive medication was modified by adding triamterene to the chlorthalidone treatment. Of the 56 subjects who were treated with chlorthalidone in combination with methyldopa and who were followed for 1 year, four patients (7%) had spells of fever likely to have been caused by methyldopa, so this drug had to be discontinued. In three cases it was replaced by alprenolol, and in one case chlorthalidone alone was adequate therapy. In two patients, drug therapy (chlorthalidone only) could be terminated altogether, since their BPs returned to normal, apparently due to regression to the mean or to adaptation to the measurement situation. Discussion Finnerty and co-workers6 were the first to demonstrate that compliance with therapeutic regimens by hypertensive patients can be improved considerably by organizational and administrative rearrangements.Working at the polyclinic of their training hospital in Washington, D.C., they were able to reduce the proportion of dropouts among hypertensive patients from 42% to 8% by providing more personalized medical care, by providing 24-hour medical services for the patients, and by making medical care more convenient for the patients. Good results have also been obtained in New York in a hypertension polyclinic provided by an occupational health care system for department store employees,11 in Gothenburg, Sweden in medical consultations provided for hypertensives,"2 in a training hospital participating in a primary preventive study,'3 and in Finland in the community health centers in which the antihypertensive treatment program of the North Karelia project is run.'4 None of these were randomized studies. Sackett et al.l,' in a controlled study of the factors pertinent to compliance, did not indicate any favorable effect of health education or convenience of care on patient compliance in general. In the present randomized study, the compliance of hypertensive patients could be improved considerably by a few rearrangements in organization, health education and convenience of care. After 1 year 96% of the patients under the improved system were still participating in the treatment program. In the United States, those who drop out of treatment for hypertension are in general younger, more likely to be black, have less education, are blue collar workers and have lower incomes than those who stay in treatment.5 The good results in this investigation were not due to selection bias in favor of patients with better education and higher income. Only four (5%) of the 78 persons in treatment under the improved system had 12 years or more of education, 74 (95%) less than 12 years, and 65 (83%) less than 9 years. For the ordinary treatment system the figures were 2 (2%), 84 (98%) and 76 (88%), respectively. For 69% of the subjects under the improved system and 67% of those under the ordinary system the income was 20 000 Fmk (5,618 U.S. dollars) or less. No selection took place, even in the beginning of the investigation, because 94% of those who were invited 542 CIRCULATION did participate in the hypertensive screening survey, and 90% of those with untreated high BP took part in the second measurement. In Finland, most hypertensives are treated in community health centers, which are responsible for health education, screening for diseases, and treating the inhabitants of their districts, according to the Public Health Act (1972). Therefore we felt that a community health center would be the most adequate milieu for our research into ways of enhancing compliance with therapeutic regimens in hypertensives. The physicians' fees and the payments for laboratory and radiological services are very low in these centers,"' and antihypertensive medication is available to persons with high BP at no cost to the patient, as provided by the Sickness Insurance Act; thus, financial factors could not have influenced the compliance with antihypertensive treatment in the present study. One-fifth of those who were placed under the ordinary system dropped out of treatment within 1 year. The number of dropouts in the present study, which dealt with a Finnish rural population, was not nearly as high as that obtained in some studies carried out on populations from metropolitan areas in the United States.5 6 Our findings, nevertheless, clearly show that the passive approach to antihypertensive therapy prevalent in Finland and, we believe, in most other countries, is insufficient, and that even modest effort can greatly reduce the number of drop-outs. The initial BP target-level was not achieved in all cases, even under the improved system. However, a consideration more important than the efficacy of treatment is that as many hypertensives as possible remain under medical care, for studies indicate that in the case of both severe17 and mild'8 hypertension, maximally efficacious medication is not needed to reduce complications of hypertension, compared with the absence of medication altogether. BP could be returned to normal using chlorthalidone alone in 59% of the patients who remained in the program under the improved system, and in 53% of patients under the ordinary system. In other studies as well", l9 the administration of only one drug has been found to be adequate in the treatment of hypertension in most cases. If most hypertensives can be treated by very simple medication the possibility of keeping patients under continuous, in most cases lifelong medical care is significantly improved. The simpler the medication, the better the compliance with treatment;20' 21 and simpler medication enables paramedical personnel to take charge of the treatment of most hypertensive patients.22 The simple, compliance-enhancing, organizational rearrangements put on trial in the present study are included among the recommendations of the Committee for Hypertension, appointed by the Finnish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, in its recently published report.23 On a large scale these measures may prove to be of great significance for public health, particularly in a country like Finland, where the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and their attendant mortality is among the highest in the world in women and is the highest in men.2'
The ,Mean Systolic and Diastolic Pressures Before Drug Therapy and 1 Year After Starting Therapy in Patients Who Remained in the Program Under the Improved and Ordinary Systems Mean systolic and diastolic pressure Before 1 year after starting Mean reduction Treatment system Number of drug therapy* drug therapy*t in blood pressure and age group patients (mm Hg) (mm Hg) (mm Hg) Improved under 50 yrs 39 149/95 26/12 over 30 yrs 36 192/106 157/95 33/11 Ordinary under 50 yrs 36 175/109 146/94 29/15 over 50 yrs 34 196/108 1.58/92 38/1 *These mean values for blood pressures did not differ in the same age grouips of the different treatment systems at a statistically significant level. tThese mean values differed at a statistically significant level (p < 0.001) from the corresponding meanvalues obtained before drug therapy.mg) was the only antihypertensive drug administered to 44 patients (70%) at the end of the year; in 15 patients (24%) it was used in combination with methyldopa (chlorthalidone 25 mg and methyldopa 250-750 mg). For those whose pressure reduction had been at least 10%, the figures were 45 (62%) and 23 (32%), respectively. Of those patients under the ordinary system who had reached the target level, the antihypertensive medication consisted of chlorthalidone in 37 cases (67%) and chlorthalidone and methyldopa in 14 cases (25%). The figures for those with a pressure reduction of at least 10% were 39 (58%) and 21 (31%), respectively. In six patients of the 144 (4%) who remained in the treatment program and whose treatment was started with chlorthalidone (in one patient with liver disease, treatment was initiated with alprenolol) the drug had to be discontinued because of headache (two patients) or hypokalemia (four patients). Their treatment was continued with Moduretic or methyldopa or both. Among the patients who received chlorthalidone there was, in addition to the cases mentioned, one patient with hypokalemia whose antihypertensive medication was modified by adding triamterene to the chlorthalidone treatment. Of the 56 subjects who were treated with chlorthalidone in combination with methyldopa and who were followed for 1 year, four patients (7%) had spells of fever likely to have been caused by methyldopa, so this drug had to be discontinued. In three cases it was replaced by alprenolol, and in one case chlorthalidone alone was adequate therapy. In two patients, drug therapy (chlorthalidone only) could be terminated altogether, since their BPs returned to normal, apparently due to regression to the mean or to adaptation to the measurement situation. Discussion Finnerty and co-workers6 were the first to demonstrate that compliance with therapeutic regimens by hypertensive patients can be improved considerably by organizational and administrative rearrangements.Working at the polyclinic of their training hospital in Washington, D.C., they were able to reduce the proportion of dropouts among hypertensive patients from 42% to 8% by providing more personalized medical care, by providing 24-hour medical services for the patients, and by making medical care more convenient for the patients. Good results have also been obtained in New York in a hypertension polyclinic provided by an occupational health care system for department store employees,11 in Gothenburg, Sweden in medical consultations provided for hypertensives,"2 in a training hospital participating in a primary preventive study,'3 and in Finland in the community health centers in which the antihypertensive treatment program of the North Karelia project is run.'4 None of these were randomized studies. Sackett et al.l,' in a controlled study of the factors pertinent to compliance, did not indicate any favorable effect of health education or convenience of care on patient compliance in general. In the present randomized study, the compliance of hypertensive patients could be improved considerably by a few rearrangements in organization, health education and convenience of care. After 1 year 96% of the patients under the improved system were still participating in the treatment program. In the United States, those who drop out of treatment for hypertension are in general younger, more likely to be black, have less education, are blue collar workers and have lower incomes than those who stay in treatment.5 The good results in this investigation were not due to selection bias in favor of patients with better education and higher income. Only four (5%) of the 78 persons in treatment under the improved system had 12 years or more of education, 74 (95%) less than 12 years, and 65 (83%) less than 9 years. For the ordinary treatment system the figures were 2 (2%), 84 (98%) and 76 (88%), respectively. For 69% of the subjects under the improved system and 67% of those under the ordinary system the income was 20 000 Fmk (5,618 U.S. dollars) or less. No selection took place, even in the beginning of the investigation, because 94% of those who were invited 542 CIRCULATION did participate in the hypertensive screening survey, and 90% of those with untreated high BP took part in the second measurement. In Finland, most hypertensives are treated in community health centers, which are responsible for health education, screening for diseases, and treating the inhabitants of their districts,
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