Introduction:

Adherence to treatment and level of knowledge in patients with arterial hypertension are key factors to control this condition and avoid complications.

Objectives:

To determine the degree of adherence to treatment, the level of knowledge and comorbidities in patients with arterial hypertension in an urban area of ​​Asunción, Paraguay, in 2022.

Methodology:

An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional design was applied. Men and women over 18 years of age, known carriers of arterial hypertension, residing in Sajonia neighborhood between May and October 2022, were included. The data were obtained through house-to-house interviews. Demographic variables, the level of adherence with the Morisky Green test and the level of knowledge about the disease with the Batalla test were measured. The research was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Universidad Privada del Este, Paraguay.

Results:

Four hundred twenty-five subjects participated in the study, predominantly female (61.1%). Diabetes mellitus was referred to by 28.9% of the interviewees. The Morisky Green test detected that 60% of the subjects forget to take their medication, 25% do not take it at the indicated time, 29% take it if they feel well, and 44% stop taking it if they feel undesirable effects. The Batalla test found that 7% believe that arterial hypertension is not for life, 9% believe that the condition is not controlled with diet and medication, and 5.8% could not refer to at least one target organ.

Conclusion:

Adherence to the treatment of arterial hypertension and the level of knowledge about this condition was not adequate.

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