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OBJECTIVES:To assess knowledge towards etiology, treatment and management of HTN among hypertensive patients in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. METHODS: A convenient sample of 400 HTN patients visiting public hospital in Bahawalpur was selected for the study. A pre-validated, self administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Analyses were done by SPSS 16. RESULTS: A total of 89.9% of the patients were males with a mean age of 35.69 years with 240 (60%) having bachelor level of education. A total of 180 (45%) of the participants had income below Pakistan rupees 20,000 per month. 296 (74%) patients knew the values of normal Blood Pressure. 160 (40%) knew the causes and symptoms of HTN. 188 (47%) of patients had hypertensive patients in their families; 308 (77.75%) thought that there should be life style modifications in case of HTN and also stated that HTN is curable. Majority of patients 216 (54%) did not monitor their blood pressure regularly and were depending on signs and symptoms. A total of 139 patients (34.78%) became hypertensive after the age of 30 years while 130 (32.61%) got the disease after the age of 20. All patients were receiving allopathic treatment but only 130 (30%) were following special diet program. A small number 100 (25%) of patients were receiving counseling services from health care professionals where as 316 (79%) were depending upon opinions from friends, peers and patients already suffering from HTN. CONCLUSIONS: The study results identified a strong need for education program regarding HTN at the community level. The interaction between patients and health care providers should be increased in order to have maximum therapeutic outcome. Further studies are recommended to identify the contributing factors in the treatment and management of HTN.

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OBJECTIVES: Minority, underserved patients, such as African Americans and Hispanics, are at increased risk of anticoagulation related complications. Evidence shows that non-adherence has a negative influence on anticoagulation control. Therefore, the objective of the study was to identify patient factors affecting nonadherence with anticoagulation therapy in an inner-city, underserved minority population. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of inner-city minority patients who received care at the University of Illinois at Chicago Antithrombosis Clinic. Data on socioeconomic and clinical characteristics, social support and factors associated with modes of transport to the clinic were collected by using survey questionnaires and reviewing medical records. Linear regression was performed to identify factors that could be potentially associated with non-adherence to anticoagulation therapy. RESULTS: A total of 243 African American (nϭ180) and Hispanic (nϭ63) patients participated in the survey. The mean age was 54.30 Ϯ 17.49. The majority of the patients were female (72.84%), had an education level of high school or less (60.44%), an annual income of Ͻ$15,000 (44.09%), and had Medicare or Medicaid as their primary insurance (77.37%). The mean time in therapeutic range (TTR) was 49.29 Ϯ 20.89% and mean non-adherence rate with anticoagulation therapy was 12.62 Ϯ 13.81%. Linear regression analysis showed that patients with missed appointments (pϽ0.01), and Medicare as primary insurance (pϭ0.03) were more likely to be non-adherent, whereas married patients (pϽ0.01) were less likely to be non-adherent. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that patients are more likely to be non-adherent with anticoagulation therapy when they miss their clinic appointments and have Medicare as their primary insurance. In addition, marriage as a form of social support decreases the likelihood non-adherence. Future research is needed on developing interventions that would target and reinforce adherence behaviors, help develop self-efficacy and motivation based on each patient's lifestyle and social support system.OBJECTIVES: According to current guidelines for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), early risk stratification might be critical to planning appro-