The effect of depression on adherence to antihypertensive medications in elderly individuals with hypertension

Adherence to antihypertensives in the United States: A comparative meta-analysis of 23 million patients

Adherence to antihypertensives is crucial for control of blood pressure. This study analyzed factors and interventions that could affect adherence to antihypertensives in the US. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase were searched on January 21, 2022 and December 25, 2023 for studies on the adherence to antihypertensives in the US. Nineteen studies and 23 545 747 patients were included in the analysis, which showed that adherence to antihypertensives was the highest among Whites (OR: 1.47, 95% CI 1.34-1.61 compared to African Americans). Employment status and sex were associated with insignificant differences in adherence rates. In contrast, marital status yielded a significant difference where unmarried patients demonstrated low adherence rates compared to married ones (OR: 0.8, 95% CI 0.67-0.95). On analysis of comorbidities, diabetic patients reported lower adherence to antihypertensives (OR: 0.95, 95% CI 0.92-0.97); furthermore, patients who did not have Alzheimer showed higher adherence rates. Different BMIs did not significantly affect the adherence rates. Patients without insurance reported significantly lower adherence rates than insured patients (OR: 3.93, 95% CI 3.43-4.51). Polypill users had higher adherence rates compared with the free-dose combination (OR: 1.21, 95% CI 1.2-1.21), while telepharmacy did not prove to be as effective. Lower adherence rates were seen among African Americans, uninsured, or younger patients. Accordingly, interventions such as fixed-dose combinations should be targeted at susceptible groups. Obesity and overweight did not affect the adherence to antihypertensives.

Subjective memory complaints and medication adherence among hypertensive Korean older adults with multimorbidity: mediating effect of depression and social support

BACKGROUND & AIM(S)

Medication adherence (MA) is a key factor in maintaining adequate blood pressure and preventing complications. However, some older adults experience difficulties in taking medicine properly due to declines in cognitive function. Although subjective memory complaints (SMC) are recognized as early markers of cognitive impairment, previous studies concerning the relationship between MA and cognitive function have focused only on objective cognitive function. Furthermore, while depression has a high correlation with SMC, low MA, and social support, there is limited evidence on their relationship. This study aims to understand the effect of SMC on MA and the mediating effect of depression and social support.

METHOD(S)

This study is a descriptive cross-sectional investigation. A sample of 195 community-dwelling hypertensive older adults with multimorbidity from 3 community senior centers in Gwangju, South Korea were recruited through convenience sampling. Data was collected through face-to-face survey from January to March 2018. The PROCESS macro v4.2 program [Model 6] was used to analyze the mediating effect of depression and social support in the relationship between SMC and MA. Data analysis was performed using SPSS/WIN 26.0 and STATA MP 17.0.

RESULTS

The average MA was 6.74. There were significant differences in MA according to awareness of prescribed drugs, awareness of side effects, insomnia, and healthcare accessibility. SMC was positively correlated with depression, while social support and MA were negatively correlated. While depression was a significant mediator of the effect of SMC on MA, the mediating effect of social support was not significant. The multiple mediation effect of depression and social support was not significant.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that medication management of older adults in community settings should be accompanied by a comprehensive health assessment of associated factors. Health professionals should explore strategies to improve memory as well as prevent and alleviate depression to increase MA among hypertensive older adults with multimorbidity.

Unveiling the Nexus: Depressive Symptoms and Medication Adherence in Hypertensive Patients' Self-care: A Systematic Review

Background

Hypertension, a significant public health concern, is frequently linked to emotional disorders like depression. Research shows a reciprocal link between depression and hypertension, potentially influencing patients' adherence to self-care routines.

Objective

This systematic review aimed to examine the association between depressive symptoms and aspects of self-care, with a focus on medication adherence in individuals diagnosed with hypertension.

Methods

Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review was conducted by searching PubMed, PsycINFO and Scopus until March 17, 2023. The included studies involved quantitative primary research conducted in English, focusing on adults (≥18 years) diagnosed with hypertension and experiencing depressive symptoms. Observational studies were assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and randomized controlled trials were evaluated using the revised Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool (RoB 2.0). Due to the great diversity of these studies, a narrative synthesis of the results was undertaken. Results: A total of 18 studies involving 6,131 people with hypertension, that met our eligibility criteria were ultimately included. The reported rates of depressive symptoms ranged from 4% to 43%. Of these studies, nine reported a statistically significant association, showcasing an adverse impact of depressive symptoms on medication adherence. The remaining nine did not confirm the above.

Conclusion

This systematic review highlights the diverse body of research exploring depressive symptoms and medication adherence among individuals with hypertension. The review suggests a need for increased attention to self-care practices, particularly in relation to adherence to antihypertensive medication. However, it recommends the conduction of more robust longitudinal studies to comprehensively explore this relationship.

Association Between Illness Perception and Adherence to Treatment in Slovak Patients With Hypertension: A Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Lack of adherence to treatment in patients with arterial hypertension leads to poor blood pressure control, increased morbidity and mortality, and increased costs to health and social care. Regular assessment of treatment adherence as well as factors influencing it is important to improve patient adherence and consequently increase treatment efficacy. Personal beliefs, particularly illness representations, are significant factors that influence adherence.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to assess the associations between adherence to treatment, illness perception, and selected sociodemographic and clinical characteristics in patients with arterial hypertension.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional observational study, 235 patients with arterial hypertension completed the Hill-Bone Compliance to High Blood Pressure Therapy Scale and the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire. Associations between variables were assessed by Spearman ρ and multiple linear regression analysis.

RESULTS

Younger age, male gender, overall number of drugs used, and poorer beliefs related to the timeline, treatment control, and understanding were associated with higher levels of nonadherence. The final regression model significantly ( P ≤ .05) explained 19.4% of the variance in diet adherence, 5.0% in appointment keeping, and 17.8% in medication adherence.

CONCLUSION

Comprehensive care aimed at regular evaluation of illness perceptions with an emphasis on increasing understanding of the disease and its treatment and reducing patient worries and negative emotions seems to be a relevant strategy for improving adherence to antihypertensive treatment in everyday clinical practice.

Association between depression and blood pressure in community-dwelling older adults: focus on Bushehr elderly health (BEH) program

INTRODUCTION

Depression and increased blood pressure are significant burdens in elderly care. This study was conducted to discover the association between hypertension (HTN) and depression based on data obtained from the Bushehr Elderly Health (BEH) program in a large population of Iranian elderly in Bushehr, southern Iran.

METHODS

This study was carried out based on data obtained from the Bushehr Elderly Health (BEH) program in a large population of Iranian elderly in Bushehr, a southern city in Iran. 2419 old adults were included in the study through multi-stage random sampling. Depression was assessed using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and blood pressure was measured using a standard mercury sphygmomanometer. Statistical analysis was conducted via chai-square, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and univariate and multivariate linear regression tests.

RESULTS

The mean age of participants was 69.95 ± 6.95 years. The prevalence of depression was 23.8%. Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) decreased with increasing PHQ score (B=-0.001; 95%CI: -0.00 to -0.00, P-value = 0.011). In the final model adjusted for confounding variables, no significant association was found between depression score and DBP (B=-0.00; 95%CI: -0.00 to 0.00, P = 0.13). Conversely, in the final model, which included the confounding variable, SBP was significantly associated with depression. It was deduced that a variable acted as a negative confounder in this association; in a way that with increased depression score, SBP significantly decreased (B=-0.00; 95% CI: -0.00 to -0.00, P = 0.04).

CONCLUSION

Depression and its related medications could be significantly associated with controlled SBP. Health practitioners in primary health care centers must monitor the elderly inflicted with HTN for early symptoms of depression to help maintain blood pressure levels using medicinal and non-medicinal interventions.

Examining the relationship between depression and medication adherence among elderlies suffering from cardiovascular disease referring to the clinics affiliated with Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences: A cross-sectional study

Background

In recent years, around 30% of all mortalities worldwide has been related to cardiovascular disease (CVD). The most important predictor solution of cardiovascular events is enhancing medication adherence. Meanwhile, the main reason behind development of physical disorders among the elderly is depression. In this regard, the present research was performed to determine the relationship between depression and medication adherence among the elderly suffering from CVD.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was done via an analytical approach on 188 elderlies fulfilling the inclusion criteria. The participants were chosen through convenience nonrandomized sampling from March to July 2022. The data were collected through demographic and healthcare information form plus Madanloo chronic disease medication adherence and geriatric depression scale. The analysis of the data was done by SPSS 26 plus Stata 14.2.

Results

The mean depression score was 5.6(4.3) and the mean score of medication adherence in the elderlies was 168.03(23.85). The prevalence of depression was higher in women than in men (p = 0.015), and the elderlies differing from heart failure reported the minimum extent of medication adherence. The findings obtained from analysis of variance showed that age, level of education, and monthly level of income were among the effective demographic factors in the extent of depression and medication adherence (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, 26% of changes in medication adherence can be attributed to depression. Further, the results of the multiple linear regression model reported that depression, age, and polypharmacy are among the predictors of medication adherence.

Discussion and Conclusion

A weak to moderate relationship existed between depression and medication adherence among these elderlies. Given the growing elderly population, the importance of depression, and lack of medication adherence in incidence of CVD events, it is recommended to train the healthcare team to monitor the elderly regarding depression symptoms.

Effects of Combination Treatment in Hypertensive Patients with Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 27 Randomized Controlled Trials

Background

Hypertension commonly co-exists with depression and is associated with adverse health outcomes. This meta-analysis aimed to examine whether combination treatment can improve the outcomes of patients with comorbid hypertension and depression.

Methods

We searched for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published through July 2021 using PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data. RCTs on patients with an antihypertensive outcome and data on mean blood pressure differences were extracted for both intervention and control groups. Continuous and dichotomous measures of outcomes were pooled using weighted mean differences (WMD) and risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) by random or fixed effects. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses were performed to identify any existing heterogeneous sources.

Results

A total of 27 RCTs with 2606 participants were included. Combination treatment significantly improved systolic blood pressure (SBP) by 11.27 mmHg (WMD = −11.27, 95% CI: −14.12 to −8.43), I² = 95.4%), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by 8.21 mmHg (WMD = −8.21, 95% CI: −10.73 to −5.69), I² = 96.9%), and antihypertensive efficiency by 42% (RR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.32 to 1.52, I² = 0.0%) compared with in the control group. Combination treatment improved SBP and DBP levels in patients aged <65 years compared with those in patients aged ≥65 years (p = 0.020 and 0.007, respectively).

Conclusion

Pooled evidence suggests that combination treatment significantly improves both blood pressure levels and antihypertensive efficiency in hypertensive patients with depression. Elderly patients with comorbid hypertension and depression may require a more collaborative approach to improve their outcome.

Registration

PROSPERO registration number CRD42020213430. Registered on November 08, 2020.

The influence of the pandemic on fear of contagion, blood pressure management and adherence to medication in hypertensive older adults in Turkey

The study was conducted to identify the impact of the pandemic on hypertensive older people's COVID-19 fear, blood pressure control, and medication adherence. In this descriptive, correlational study, mean medication adherence was taken as 45.6 ± 6.06% based on the literature, with a 5% margin of error, and the sample size was determined as 292 with 95% confidence interval and 80% power. Data were collected from 419 older individuals using a sociodemographic information form, an infodemic-related questionnaire, Fear of COVID-19 Scale, and Medication Adherence Self-Efficacy Scale via Google Forms. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 23 software via independent sample t test, one-way variance analysis, χ² analysis, and the Pearson correlation coefficient. It was found that, rather than avoiding hospitals during a pandemic, one out of two older people had had their blood pressure checked. One out of every five had abnormal/uncontrolled blood pressure during the pandemic. The infodemic was found to increase concern levels, and those with high fear scores had abnormal/uncontrolled levels of blood pressure. Moreover, a low-level positive correlation was found between medication adherence and the level of fear of COVID-19. As the pandemic continues, older people with hypertension need support in terms of monitoring blood pressure and medication adherence as well as increased awareness about the pandemic.

Prevalence and predictive nomogram of depression among hypertensive patients in primary care: A cross-sectional study in less developed Northwest China

Hypertensive patients commonly co-exist persistent depressive symptoms. However, these issues are not always identified, especially in primary health care, which may worsen the prognosis of hypertension. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factor of depression, and to develop risk nomogram of depression in hypertensive patients from primary health care Northwest China.We used a stratified multistage random sampling method to obtain 1856 hypertensives subjects aged ≥18 years in Xinjiang between April and October 2019. The subjects were randomly divided into a training set (n = 1299) and a validation set (n = 557). Depression was evaluated by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), with a cut-off score ≥8. Using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression model, we identified optimized risk factors of depression in the training set, followed by the establishment of prediction nomogram. The discriminative ability, calibration, and clinical usefulness of nomogram were assessed. The results were verified by internal validation in validation set.13.7% hypertensive subjects displayed depression. Seven independent risk factors of depression were identified and entered into the nomogram including age, region, ethnicity, marital status, physical activity, sleep quality, and control of hypertension. The nomogram displayed robust discrimination with an AUC of 0.760 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.724-0.797)] and 0.761 (95%CI: 0.702-0.819), and good calibration in training set and validation set, respectively. The decision curve analysis and clinical impact curve demonstrated clinical usefulness of predictive nomogram.There is a considerable prevalence of depression in patients with hypertension from primary care of Xinjiang, Northwest China. Our nomogram may help primary care providers assess the risk of depression in patients with hypertension.

Social support as a mediator between depression and quality of life in Chinese community-dwelling older adults with chronic disease

The older adults with chronic disease usually show poor mental health and experience low quality of life (QOL). This study aimed to examine the mediating role of social support in the relationship between depression and QOL in community-dwelling older adults with chronic disease. A total of 387 Chinese older adults aged 60 or above with chronic disease were included in this cross-sectional study. Social support was negatively associated with depression and positively associated with physical component scale (PCS) and mental component scale (MCS). Depression and social support were all predictors of PCS and MCS. Mediation analysis suggested that social support partially mediated the impact of depression on PCS and MCS. Understanding the mediating role of social support might be beneficial in reducing the adverse impact of depression on QOL in community-dwelling older adults with chronic disease.

Poor adherence is a contributor to viral breakthrough in patients with chronic hepatitis B

Objective

The objective of this study was to explore the risk factors of poor adherence of nucleoside analogs (NUC) treatment in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and the virological changes in patients with poor adherence.

Subjects and methods

A total of 205 CHB patients were enrolled. The patients’ demographic data and family history were collected. NUC adherence was calculated every 12 weeks as follows: number of NUC tablets taken by the patients was divided by the number of NUC tablets prescribed. NUC adherence > 90% was defined as good adherence of NUC treatment.

Results

NUC adherence of male patients was significantly lower than that of female patients. Adherence among patients with previous NUC treatment was poorer than that of patients without previous NUC treatment. Multivariate analysis indicated that female gender (OR =0.367, P=0.013) was the protective factor for NUC adherence in CHB patients, while pretreatment with NUC was the risk factor for NUC adherence (OR =3.209, P=0.002). A total of six patients in the good adherence group experienced virological breakthroughs while 15 of 77 patients in the poor adherence group experienced virological breakthroughs (P=0.001). Similar trends were observed in NUC resistance. Four of the 128 patients with good adherence developed NUC resistance while nine of the 77 patients with poor adherence developed resistance (P=0.015). Multivariate analysis suggested that pretreatment with NUC (OR =3.133, P=0.031), NUC drugs (OR = 3.951, P=0.010), and adherence (OR =2.749, P=0.046) were independent risk factors associated with virological breakthroughs and that NUC drugs (OR =7.083, P=0.005) and poor adherence (OR =4.951, P=0.009) were independent risk factors for NUC resistance.

Conclusion

Male gender and pretreatment with NUC were risk factors associated with NUC adherence. Poor NUC adherence is more likely to induce virological breakthroughs and NUC resistance. For patients with poor NUC adherence, it is necessary to give timely education to improve treatment adherence.