Original Paper

Awareness and Pharmacotherapy of Hypertension in a Rural Community
Fiona White^a, Lexin Wang^a, Herbert Jelinek<sup>b

a</sup>School of Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, N.S.W., and
^bSchool of Community Health, Charles Sturt University, Albury, N.S.W., Australia

Address of Corresponding Author

Med Princ Pract 2009;18:261-265 (DOI: 10.1159/000215721)

  Key Words

• Hypertension
• Awareness
• Pharmacotherapy
• Rural community

  Abstract

Objective: To determine the level of awareness of hypertension and pharmacological management in patients from a rural community of Australia. Subjects and Methods: A total of 665 patients were studied. Thepatients were recruited from Albury-Wodonga and surrounding districts, which are located in a rural area of south-eastern Australia. Demographic information and medical history were recorded for all patients. Clinical data were also recorded. Results: Of the 665 patients, 449 (75%) were hypertensive, and of these 449 hypertensive patients, 195 (43.4%) were aware that they had hypertension. Blood pressure was inadequately controlled in 399 of the hypertensive patients (88.9%) according to the management guidelines of the National Heart Foundation of Australia. Of all the patients who had hypertension, 247 (55.0%) were not receiving antihypertensive therapy. Of those receiving therapy, 132 (65.3%) were being administered only one antihypertensive (monotherapy). The most commonly prescribed antihypertensive classes were angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor antagonists, diuretics, -blockers and calcium channel blockers. Conclusion: The level of awareness of hypertension and its management appeared to be poor in hypertensive patients living in this rural Australian community. Actual hypertension control was extremely poor, and a major potential cause of this may be the poor use of anti-hypertensive medications in these patients. Strategies to improve the awareness of hypertension and its required management in patients residing in rural communities are recommended.

Copyright © 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Prof. Lexin Wang, MD, PhD
School of Biomedical Sciences
Charles Sturt University
Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678 (Australia)
Tel. +61 2 6933 2905, Fax +61 2 6933 2587, E-Mail lwang@csu.edu.au

  Article Information

Received: October 23, 2008
Revised: December 19, 2008
Published online: June 02, 2009
Number of Print Pages : 5
Number of Figures : 0, Number of Tables : 3, Number of References : 20