Measurement Tools and Utility of Hair Analysis for Screening Adherence to Antihypertensive Medication

Jyoti R Sharma; Phiwayinkosi V Dludla; Girish Dwivedi; Rabia Johnson

doi:10.5334/gh.1191

Measurement Tools and Utility of Hair Analysis for Screening Adherence to Antihypertensive Medication

Glob Heart. 2023 Mar 22;18(1):17. doi: 10.5334/gh.1191. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Jyoti R Sharma¹, Phiwayinkosi V Dludla¹, Girish Dwivedi², Rabia Johnson^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg 7505, South Africa.
² Medical School, University of Western Australia, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Sciences, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Verdun Street, Nedlands WA, 6009, Australia.
³ Centre for Cardio-Metabolic Research in Africa, Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg 7505, South Africa.

Abstract

Poor adherence to the prescribed antihypertensive therapy is an understated public health problem and is one of the main causes of the high prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension in sub-Saharan Africa. Medication adherence is vital for the effectiveness of antihypertensive treatment and is key to ameliorating the clinical outcomes in hypertensive patients. However, it has often been ignored because the current methods used to assess medication adherence are not reliable, limiting their utilization in clinical practice. Therefore, the identification of the most accurate and clinically feasible method for measuring medication adherence is critical for tailoring effective strategies to improve medication adherence and consequently achieve blood pressure goals. This review not only explores various available methods for estimating medication adherence but also proposes therapeutic drug monitoring in hair for the measurement of medication adherence to the antihypertensive medication period.

Keywords: antihypertensive medication; compliance; drug/treatment adherence; hypertension.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Antihypertensive Agents* / pharmacology
Antihypertensive Agents* / therapeutic use
Blood Pressure
Hair Analysis
Humans
Hypertension* / drug therapy
Hypertension* / epidemiology
Medication Adherence

Substances

Antihypertensive Agents

Grants and funding

Rabia Johnson received funding from a Strategic Health Innovation Partnership grant (SHIP-RFA-01-2019) and RCD, NRF UID 120812, and BRIP baseline funding.