Characteristics and Factors Associated With Antihypertensive Medication Use in Patients Attending Peruvian Health Facilities.

INTRODUCTION: Hypertension is a very common disease worldwide, and medication is needed to prevent its short-term and long-term complications. Our objective was to determine the characteristics and factors associated with antihypertensive medication use in patients attending Peruvian health facilities. MATERIALS & METHODS: We performed a multicenter, cross-sectional study with secondary data. We obtained self-reported antihypertensive medication from patients attending health facilities in 10 departments of Peru. We looked for associations of the antihypertensive treatment according to sociopathological factors and obtained p values using generalized linear models. RESULTS: Of the 894 patients with hypertension, 61% (547) were women and 60% (503) were on antihypertensive treatment, of which 82% (389) had monotherapy and 52% (258) had recently taken their medication. Antihypertensive treatment was positively correlated with the patient's age (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR]: 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.007 to 1.017; p value < 0.001), diabetes (aPR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.11 to 1.55; p value = 0.001) and cardiovascular disease (aPR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.26 to 1.51; p value < 0.001). Conversely, the frequency of antihypertensive treatment decreases with physical activity (aPR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.70 to 0.92; p value = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients who have comorbidities and advanced age are more likely to be on antihypertensive treatment. In contrast, patients with increased physical activity have a lower frequency of antihypertensive treatment. It is important to consider these factors for future preventive programs and to improve therapeutic compliance.

Salud mental y calidad de sueño en estudiantes de ocho facultades de medicina humana del Perú / Mental health and quality of sleep from eight faculties of medical students in Peru

Introduction: The quality of sleep refers to the fact that we sleep well at night and daytime functioning. Thus, influences health and quality of life. Sleep loss is one of the most striking problem of modern society especially in medical students. This is related to the constant academic demands causing mental health problems and high levels of stress. Methods: A cross-sectional study. We evaluated 1,040 medical students in 8 universities of Peru from the first to the sixth year of study. Of these, 892 surveys were used. Mental health were evaluated according to the scale of Depression, Anxiety and Stress (DASS-21) and "poor sleepers" students were established with a score > 5 according to the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Results: It was found that 693 (77.69%) students were poor sleepers. About mental health was found that 290 (32.51%) suffered from depression, 472 (52.91%) of anxiety and 309 (34.64%) stress. A significant association (p < 0.05) was found between poor sleep quality and female sex (OR = 1.13, CI = 1.05 to 1.21); depression (OR = 1.23, CI = 1,15-1,31); anxiety (OR = 1.32, CI = 1.23 to 1.43); and stress (OR = 1.26, CI = 1.19 to 1.35). Conclusion: We observed a high frequency of poor sleepers in medical students from eight universities of Peru. The poor quality of sleep was associated with anxiety, depression and stress in students of second and third year, respectively.

Introducción: La calidad de sueño nos hace referencia al hecho de dormir bien durante la noche y el rendimiento diurno. De esa forma, influye en salud y la buena calidad de vida. La pérdida de sueño es uno de los problemas de la sociedad moderna más llamativos especialmente en estudiantes de medicina humana. Esto se relaciona a la constante y creciente exigencia académica ocasionando problemas de salud mental y altos niveles de estrés. Métodos: Estudio transversal analítico. Se evaluaron 1.040 estudiantes de medicina humana obtenidos en forma equitativa de 8 universidades del Perú desde el primer al sexto año de estudios. De ellos, se usaron 892 encuestas. Se evaluó la salud mental según la escala de Depresión, Ansiedad y Estrés (DASS-21) y se estableció a los estudiantes "malos dormidores" como aquellos con una puntuación > 5 según el índice de calidad de sueño de Pittsburgh (ICSP). Resultados: Se encontró que 693 (77,69%) alumnos fueron malos dormidores. Con respecto a la salud mental se halló que 290 (32,51%) sufrían de depresión, 472 (52,91%) de ansiedad y 309 (34,64%) de estrés. Se halló asociación significativa (p < 0,05) entre la mala calidad de sueño y el sexo femenino (RP = 1,13; IC = 1,051,21); depresión (RP = 1,23; IC = 1,15-1,31); ansiedad (RP = 1,32; IC = 1,23-1,43); y estrés (RP = 1,26; IC = 1,19-1,35). Conclusión: Se observa una frecuencia elevada de malos dormidores en estudiantes de medicina de ocho universidades del Perú. La mala calidad de sueño se asoció con la ansiedad, depresión y estrés en los estudiantes de segundo y tercer año, respectivamente.