Heart patients not sticking to their doctors prescriptions: Study

Heart patients not sticking to their doctors prescriptions: Study

Many people with coronary artery disease (CAD) aren't taking medications as per their doctors prescriptions as regularly as they should, according to a new research.

Of the 31,750 people treated for CAD at Duke University in a study lasting for seven years, around 50% confessed that they were not taking aspirin, cholesterol lowering drugs and beta blockers as had been ordered by their doctors. Of these, about 9000 have had heart failure.

The report published in 'Circulation' dated January 10, however, said that more people were following their doctors' instructions on medication than a few years before. It emphasized the need for the patients to show a long-time adherence though.

According to the report, only 71 percent of patients are using aspirin in prescribed dosages.

Dr. L. Kristin Newby, Duke Clinical Research Institute in Durham, North Carolina, author of the study said: “It is eye-opening to be reminded how much work we still have to do when in this day and age, only 71 percent of heart patients are taking aspirin. For a drug that is well-understood, inexpensive, easily available and fairly well-tolerated, we should see rates in the upper 90 percent.”

For other drugs, the patients were even more lackadaisical as only 46 percent took beta blockers consistently, and 44 percent took lipid-lowering drugs such as statins regularly.
Only a mere 20% of persons followed doctors' instructions for ACE inhibitor drugs that are to be taken by persons, who have suffered heart failure.

The usage of secondary prevention therapies has been on the increase every year from 1995 to 2002. 83 % have reportedly used aspirin monotherapy in 2002.

Dr. Sidney C. Smith, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said that though the findings show that there is progress, “most patients still do not receive the comprehensive medical therapies that can dramatically improve cardiovascular outcomes.”