In Poland, only 20 percent. of patients achieves good results in the treatment of arterial hypertension. An important reason for this is irregular medication intake.
To improve these statistics, the organizers of the But Hypertension campaign are effectively launching a free SMS service that will remind patients to take the drug.
The website will be launched on May 17, when the World Day for Combating Hypertension is celebrated, which affects over 1 billion people worldwide, and in Poland – about 9 million people.
We deal with arterial hypertension (NT) when the systolic pressure, the so-called upper, exceeds the value of 140 mm Hg (mercury), and the diastolic pressure, the so-called the lower ones exceed 90 mm Hg. Normal high blood pressure is when these values are respectively 130-134 mm Hg and 85-89 Hg, but it is believed that people from this group are more likely to suffer from hypertension.
As the organizers of the campaign But Hypertension Effectively remind, HT significantly increases the risk of life-threatening complications, such as heart attack, stroke, heart failure and kidney failure. There are studies showing that men with moderate hypertension are more than 9 times more likely to die, and women 19 times more likely to die, compared to healthy people.
Patients can greatly reduce this risk by taking good care of themselves, including using a healthy diet and practicing physical activity, as obesity and related type 2 diabetes are the most serious factors in the development of hypertension that we can influence. Another important element of the treatment of hypertension is the regular use of medications prescribed by a doctor – you must not stop taking them or change doses on your own. If, after taking medications, you feel worse or do not notice any improvement in the blood pressure indications, you should contact your doctor as soon as possible with a request to modify the therapy.
The observations show, however, that patients with hypertension have a problem with compliance with medical recommendations – 9 years after diagnosis, even 90%. of them stop taking their medication regularly.
In order to improve these statistics, the organizers of the educational campaign “But Hypertension” successfully created the possibility for patients to use a free SMS service, whose task will be to remind them about the daily use of medications.
As the president of the Żyjmy Zdrowo Foundation, which is one of the campaign organizers, explains, a patient with hypertension can report a willingness to join the website via the website www.lecznadcisnienieeffektyw.pl (tab: For patients, and further Free pilot SMS service). Thanks to this, he will be able to receive a free SMS every day with information about the need to take the drug.
The authors of the campaign also point out that improvement in the cooperation of the patient with the doctor can also be obtained thanks to the so-called combined therapy, i.e. a combination of two drugs in one tablet. Therefore, in the European Union countries and in the USA, doctors have preferred this method of treatment for many years. In the EU, combination drugs are recommended by 40%. doctors, while in Poland only 0,5 percent.
The But Hypertension campaign is effectively directed to patients, the medical community and the media. Its creators planned, among others conferences and workshops with a total of 8 participants doctors and 1 thousand. pharmacists. In addition to the Żyjmy Zdrowo Foundation, the campaign is organized by the editorial office of Służba Zdrowia, the oldest medical journal in Poland. The substantive patronage over the campaign was taken by the Polish Society of Hypertension and the College of Family Physicians. (PAP)