Cardiovascular consequences of poor compliance to antihypertensive therapy

Despite the proven efficacy of current strategies for cardiovascular (CV) risk reduction, a considerable gap remains between the risk reductions achieved in clinical trials and those seen in clinical practice. A major reason for this is poor compliance to medication, which has been extensively documented for antihypertensive therapy. Low adherence results in suboptimal blood pressure control, which is associated with adverse CV outcomes and increased treatment costs. Adverse effects of medication are an important cause of diminished adherence. Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) may offer better long-term tolerability than other classes of antihypertensive agent, and this is likely to be a major factor in the high levels of adherence and persistence seen with these agents. This could have implications for CV protection, as confirmed by the results of recent clinical trials. Thus, ARBs should be considered as an alternative to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in patients at risk of low adherence.