When was the last time you checked your blood pressure, Ladies? How is your blood pressure? Is it high? It is undeniable that hypertension is a disease that affects many adults. Therefore, we need to know more about hypertension control. Control of hypertension aims to prevent and reduce the probability of morbidity, complications, and death. These control measures can be grouped into pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches as follows:
1. Pharmacological Approach
The pharmacological approach is a treatment effort to control blood pressure in hypertensive patients, which can be started from first-level health services such as health centers or clinics. Some things to consider in the treatment of hypertension include the following:
- Essential treatment is carried out to lower blood pressure, prolong life expectancy and reduce complications.
- Secondary treatment is more aimed at controlling the causes of hypertension.
- The choice of a combination of antihypertensive drugs is based on the severity and response of the patient to the drug given.
- Hypertension treatment is carried out for a long time, maybe even for life.
- For patients who have managed to control their blood pressure, then the administration of hypertension drugs at the puskesmas is given at the time of the visit, with a record that the new drug is given for use for 30 days if there are no new complaints.
- Patients who have just been diagnosed are advised to have re-control four times a month or once a week if the systolic blood pressure is > 160 mmHg or diastolic > 100 mmH. Combination therapy should be given after the second visit (within two weeks) if blood pressure cannot be controlled.
- Cases of hypertension or blood pressure cannot be controlled after administering the first drug. Then combination therapy is immediately given if it cannot be referred to a higher health facility.
2. Non-Pharmacological Approach
- A non-pharmacological approach is carried out to improve adherence to drinking and to measure blood pressure regularly. Here are some reasons why these two things need special attention in efforts to control hypertension:
- According to the Indonesian Ministry of Health in the 2018 Basic Health Research (Riskesdas), regarding medication adherence, only 54.4% of hypertension sufferers regularly take medication. Thus, two out of five people suffering from hypertension do not routinely take medicine or even take no medication.
- Out of all hypertension sufferers who do not take medication regularly, the majority reason that they feel they are healthy. There is a difference between hypertension sufferers based on measurements and the diagnosis results. This indicates that some people have high blood pressure but have not been diagnosed or are unaware of hypertension they suffer from.
- Only 12% of people aged 18 years and over regularly measure blood pressure. Most of the population> 18 years only occasionally perform routine blood pressure measurements of 47%. Meanwhile, the remaining 41% did not take measures.
- People who do not measure blood pressure regularly can be seen by age group, gender, education level, and place of residence.
- Based on the age and gender variables, the groups that contributed most to non-compliance with blood pressure measurements were the 18-24-year-old group, with a proportion of 55.3%, and the male sex, with a ratio of 50.5%. People who have never attended school and live in rural areas also have a high proportion of non-compliance with routine blood measurements, respectively 44.6% and 44%.
- Healthy behavior is influenced by education level and access to health information and education. Education, knowledge, and access to health services can influence low public awareness and participation in the early detection and prevention of hypertension.
- In the end, more efforts are needed to increase public awareness of early detection through regular blood pressure measurements and medication adherence. This step is believed to control hypertension by reducing the number of hypertension cases, complications, and deaths.
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Sources:
Indonesian Ministry of Health. (2019). Riskesdas 2018 report. Jakarta: Research and Development Agency, Ministry of Health.
Data and information Center. (2019). InfoDATIN. Jakarta: Indonesian Ministry of Health.