Compliance with the treatment of hypertension: The potential of combination therapy

Abstract

Patient adherence to antihypertensive medication is vital to ensure the successful treatment of hypertension. Low levels of adherence to and persistence with prescribed therapy are major factors leading to the current poor rates of blood pressure control among patients with hypertension. There are many reasons for nonadherence to therapy including patient-, physician-, and therapy-related factors. Poor tolerability has a detrimental effect on adherence, therefore reducing the apparent effectiveness of agents with dose-dependent side effects. Various effective combination therapies are recommended by current guidelines, eg, β-blocker plus calcium channel blocker (CCB), angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) plus thiazide diuretic, angiotensinconverting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor plus thiazide diuretic, CCB plus thiazide diuretic, ACE inhibitor plus CCB, and ARB plus CCB, and these have the potential to increase adherence to therapy by combining a favorable tolerability profile with once-daily dosing. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.