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According to cardiologist Jovita Samauskienė, it is necessary to treat both high blood pressure and hyperlipidemia (increased cholesterol in the blood), because these diseases are like a pump to adjust: if left untreated, they damage the heart muscle and blood vessels, increase largely myocardial infarction or myocardial infarction.
High blood pressure or myocardial infarction that has not been treated or corrected for a long time can put you at risk for heart failure. The greatest success can be expected by combining medications and lifestyle changes.
More drugs do not necessarily mean more benefits
The doctor says that he noticed that the most difficult way to adjust his lifestyle. “There are programs for people with hypertension, where they can consult with nutritionists and change their diet, get recommendations for sports and be constantly supervised by all medical teams. However, I realize that people choose drugs better than working so hard on themselves, ”he says.
High blood pressure or myocardial infarction that has not been treated or corrected for a long time can put you at risk for heart failure.
However, research also shows that even taking the pills as prescribed by your doctor is not always easy, especially if the amount is high – only about 35% honestly continue to take it one year after starting treatment. in patients with hypertension and hyperlipidemia.
According to J.Samauskienė, people with hypertension often have concomitant diseases such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes, chronic obstructive bronchial disease or bronchial asthma, which must be corrected with medications.
“They usually take a lot of medications, sometimes 10 to 12 tablets a day. And not just like that, but in the prescribed way, for example, in the morning you should take three tablets with a fifteen minute break in between. In such cases, a person often forgets to take medicines or tablets. The result is poorer disease control and a higher risk of other diseases, “explains the cardiologist.
Personal file photo Cardiologist Jovita Samauskienė
The World Health Organization has stated in its recommendations that physicians can contribute to the effective treatment of hypertension by facilitating the medication regimen and reducing the number of tablets taken per day. The most effective way to do this is by prescribing multiple tablet or fixed drug combinations.
A polytablet contains several different substances to correct diseases, so instead of several tablets, the patient only needs to take one to control various diseases. Reducing the number of tablets taken also improves adherence to the prescribed treatment regimen. Surveys show that only about 1 in 30 patients do not follow the treatment regimen when one tablet is needed, and 1 in 5 patients do not follow the regimen when two tablets are needed.
J.Samauskienė says that you have to give him multiple tablets to regulate high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol almost every day, and most patients are happy with them. “Patients feel more comfortable because they need to take one tablet instead of two or three, and I, as a doctor, am happier because the control of the treatment improves and the psychological condition of the patient feels less sick than taking a handful of medicines.
Imagine a person with cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and high blood cholesterol. You may need to take up to six different medications a day, each on a separate tablet. When two or three different groups of drugs are combined in a polypill, the number of tablets consumed is reduced by half or more, so that instead of 6 tablets there are 2-3 “”, says the interlocutor.
Myths often get in the way of innovation
The doctor says that in Lithuania polypills have been prescribed for a couple of years, so they are well known to both the medical community and patients. However, trust in them, as in other medical innovations, is sometimes undermined by various social myths. One of them deals with the side effects of statins, a drug used to lower blood cholesterol, in the tablets that make up high blood pressure.
The American Medical Association has outlined eight top reasons why people don’t drink or stop taking their prescribed medications. In addition to the high price or high volume of drugs, there is the fear of side effects. People who carry it refuse to take medication, especially if they still do not feel symptoms of the disease.
J.Samauskienė says that this is exactly the case with high cholesterol: people usually don’t feel it at all and then feel like they don’t need to take medication. According to her, political tablets are also often abandoned by those who do not want to use statins. However, this is the wrong approach because adjusting cholesterol is no less important than treating high blood pressure. It is scientifically proven that statin use is 54 percent. reduces myocardial infarction by 48 percent. – stroke, 20 percent. – global risk of mortality.
“One of the most common myths about statins that I encounter almost every day is that they can damage the liver. However, all medications have side effects, and liver damage is an extremely rare side effect of statins. During my eight years From work experience, I have never experienced liver damage while taking a statin, so I think it is not wise to stop the medication and put my health at risk, ”explains the cardiologist.
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