Arterial Hypertension · Published 2025-02-11 · DOI 10.5603/ah.108255
BACKGROUND: Our study is the first nationwide examination of current cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, revention knowledge, non-pharmacological treatment methods, and their integration into daily practice amongst individuals diagnosed with hypertension (HT). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The analysis comprised 6163 participants aged 19 to 99 years, consisting of 3380 normotensive (NT) individuals (1393 men and 1987 women) and 2783 HT individuals (1364 men and 1419 women). RESULTS: We evaluated the awareness of CVD prevention principles in NT patients and in those with diagnosed HT, both controlled and uncontrolled. We investigated the prevalence of modifiable CVD risk factors such as obesity, hyperlipemia, smoking, low physical activity, excessive intake of sodium, cholesterol, alcohol, and insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption in the daily diet, and we established the extent to which recommendations for CVD prevention are implemented in everyday practice in patients with HT. We checked how the knowledge of CVD risk factors affects the control of HT. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding and implementing recommendations for managing HT, like measuring blood pressure at home, attending regular check-ups, and adopting a healthy lifestyle (including quitting smoking, exercising more, and eating a balanced diet), is crucial for controlling blood pressure and preventing cardiovascular diseases. However, this knowledge is often lacking, and adherence to these non-pharmacological treatment guidelines is very poor among Polish HT patients.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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