Determinants of drug treatment maintenance among hypertensive persons in inner city Detroit.

Drug treatment maintenance among a group of 206 hypertensive persons was examined in relation to their health beliefs, knowledge about hypertension, barriers to receiving medical care, health status, and personal characteristics. The data came from a cross-sectional survey of approximately 800 adults living in Detroit, Mich., which included blood pressure measurements of respondents. Treatment maintenance was defined as continuing to take antihypertensive medication following a diagnosis of hypertension. Twenty-one percent of the 206 hypertensives interviewed reported discontinuing drug treatment for their high blood pressure without being advised by a physician to do so. The only factor that distinguished drop-outs from nondrops was the respondents' perception of their health status; the poorer a person perceived his or her health to be, the more likely the person was to remain in treatment. Among persons who dropped out of drug treatment, the most common reason given for discontinuing was that they felt well without the medicine. Given the asymptomatic nature of hypertension, it is suggested that many of those who stop taking medication do so because they see no need to continue therapy. The findings from this study point out the need for providers to emphasize to their hypertensive patients the reasons for continuing on treatment even when they feel well.