[Compliance of patients with hypertension]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the compliance of patients with hypertension and the connections between compliance and control. The research material was collected using a questionnaire, which was filled in by 138 patients aged under 60 from one city and from three municipalities. The response percentage was 94%. The results are presented as a frequency and percentage distributions. Means and medians are also presented. The material was analysed using the SPSS for Windows program. Hypertension control was determined on the basis of blood pressure readings and a weight index. According to the blood pressure readings the control of hypertension was good in one tenth of the patients, medium in two thirds and poor in one fifth. Based on the weight index, the control of hypertension was good in less than one third, poor in almost one third and medium in the rest of the patients. Two thirds of the respondents were obese and men were more often obese than women. According to the findings, there were no significant correlations between compliance and control. Compliance with visits and dietary restrictions was poorest, while compliance with medication was best. In the future, we will have to study further the connections between compliance and control in patients with hypertension. The development of a reliable measuring instrument is a long process and requires further research in a large study population.