The main goal of this study is to achieve a deeper knowledge of the adherence to antihypertensive drug treatment and to evaluate the quality of life in this population. This work has the following goals: primary objective is to assess the antihypertensive treatment adherence in patients with essential hypertension on treatment for more than 6 months. The secondary objectives include the assessment of quality of life, identification of associated factors that affect adherence, knowledge of drugs used and comparison of levels of adherence according to the different drug regimes Two questionnaires shall be prepared The first questionnaire shall be anonymously completed by the patient willing to participate. It is divided into two parts: 1. Treatment Adherence Scale (MMAS): this survey is made up of 4 questions having YES/No answers and it grants 1 point per every "NO" answer, and zero points to every "YES" answer. 2. The second part is the health-related quality of life Questionnaire (MINICHAL). The questions refer to the "last 7 days" with 4 possible answer options: 0 (no, absolutely not), 1 (yes, sometimes), 2 (yes, frequently) and 3 (yes, a lot). It is made up of 16 items, 10 correspond to the "State of Mind" dimension and 6 to the "Body-related Symptoms," also described as "Physical symptoms". The second questionnaire shall be completed by the intervening physician as regards patients that attend medical visits, and who have answered the anonymous questionnaire.
Buenos Aires, Argentina