Forgetfulness to take antihypertensive medications and poor blood pressure control in older adults with type 2 diabetes and hypertension in Vietnam

Background Poor adherence to antihypertensive medications is very common in older adults. One of the leading causes of poor adherence is forgetfulness, which can be particularly challenging to manage because it is often unintentional. A better understanding of the impact of forgetfulness can help in developing targeted interventions to improve BP control. Aim This study aimed to (1) examine the prevalence of forgetfulness to take antihypertensive medications and its associated factors in older adults with type 2 diabetes and hypertension in Vietnam, and (2) investigate the relationship between forgetfulness to take antihypertensive medications and poor blood pressure (BP) control in this population. Methods This observational study was conducted at the outpatient clinics of two major hospitals in Vietnam from June 2023 to June 2024. Forgetfulness was assessed using the question: “Do you sometimes forget to take your prescribed antihypertensive medications?”, with the answer of “Yes” or “No”. Poor BP control was defined as mean systolic BP ≥140 mmHg or a mean diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the associated factors for forgetfulness and the relationship between forgetfulness and poor BP control. Results are presented as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results There were 448 participants. They had a mean age of 73.5 years (SD 7.2), 32.1% were female. The prevalence of forgetfulness to take antihypertensives was 29.5%, highest among participants in the first 5 years of hypertension (43.8%), followed by those with >15 years (28.0%), 11-15 years (25.2%), and 6-10 years (23.9%) (p=0.009). Logistic regression analysis revealed that hypertension duration and disability in activities of daily living were significantly associated with forgetfulness. Forgetfulness increased the odds of poor BP control, with an adjusted OR of 1.64 (95%CI 1.03 -2.56). Conclusion In this study, there was a high prevalence of forgetfulness to take antihypertensive medications, and forgetfulness was associated with increased odds of poor BP control. These findings suggest the need for future studies focusing on interventions on forgetfulness to improve medication adherence for this population. Further support is particularly needed for older adults with disability and for those newly diagnosed with hypertension.