Skipping antihypertensive pills drastically cuts protection against heart attacks and strokes
Missing doses of blood-pressure drugs greatly diminish their ability to prevent heart attacks, strokes and other major cardiovascular events, researchers reported.
Researchers examined individual data from 91,339 individuals enrolled in nine clinical trials comparing antihypertensive therapy with placebo or less-intensive regimens. Participants were grouped by whether they consumed at least 80 % of prescribed doses. High-adherence patients experienced a 5.2 mmHg greater drop in systolic pressure and an 11 % lower rate of major cardiovascular events than comparators, whereas low-adherence patients showed only a 3.0 mmHg reduction and no significant event reduction.
Even in controlled trial settings, adherence declined from 88 % in year one to 79 % by year five. Presenters Qianqian Yang and Felix Mahfoud emphasized that missed doses undermine treatment benefits and called for routine adherence assessments, patient education, simplified regimens, and longer-acting drugs. They argue that addressing non-adherence is essential to unlock the life-saving potential of hypertension therapy.
Why it matters
Poor adherence to blood-pressure medication weakens its life-saving effect, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
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