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5 million Americans suffer from high blood pressure and half of them don’t follow treatment
According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, more than 5 million Americans are at risk of death because they do not take their high blood pressure medicine correctly. More than 70 percent of the Americas over 65 years old suffer from hypertension and around half of them do not use medication for high blood pressure correctly.
Dr. Tom Frieden, the manager of CDC, says that not medicating themselves accurately puts patients at a greater risk of premature death. Moreover, hypertension could also cause kidney disease, strokes or heart attack.
CDC’s Division of Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention mentioned that 4.9 million Americans which is 26.3 percent of Medicare Part D receivers, do not follow the drug treatment which can lead to increased risks of hypertension and similar health conditions.
Moreover, the research stated that Blacks, Hispanics, and American Indian/Alaska Natives are the ethnic groups more likely to avoid taking their blood pressure medication. Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands were also among the southern U.S. states which had the highest rates of individuals not following their blood pressure treatment.
Dr. Tom Frieden believes that just one natural step is needed to avoid the consequences of high blood pressure which could be deadly, regularly take the pills as prescribed.
Pharmacists are known to have a crucial role in explaining the medication treatment to patients. They can recommend the drugs that best fit the requirements and budget of customers, thus improving the adherence to treatment. Moreover, they could report noncompliance to the medical force.
The CDC health care system which includes nurses, doctors, community health workers, pharmacists, and hospitals can all help control and improve the general blood pressure checks.
The agency asks the health care system to assure that all individuals understand the importance of taking the prescribed medicine for blood pressure and regular checks that could establish the evolution of the disease and the future steps needed to be taken. Moreover, CDC highlights the importance of regular exercise and a healthy diet that could lead to a lower risk of kidney disease, stroke or heart attack.
The federal government also tries to monitor the medication adherence and encourage the prescription of drug plans that could develop medicine use throughout the Medicare Star Rating schedule.
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