One of the major risk factors for heart disease in women is hypertension. The American Heart Association reports that almost one third of adults in the US have hypertension. Being hypertensive increases the chance of developing conditions such as heart attack, stroke, heart failure and kidney failure, among others. The risk of developing these diseases is significantly reduced if hypertension is detected and treated. However, the benefits of antihypertensive medications are considerably reduced because almost half of all patients stop taking them within one year of starting treatment.
Little is known about what causes people to stop treatment. The Center for Urban Population Health is partnering with the Wisconsin Research and Education Network to recruit 280 hypertensive patients about to start drug treatment and will follow them up for one year. To learn more about the project, please contact Katherine Pronschinske at 414.219.7852 or katherine.pronschinske@fammed.wisc.edu.
