No abstract

No abstract

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.

No abstract