[What information do elderly patients with heart failure have about their treatment?]. / Qué información tienen los pacientes ancianos con insuficiencia cardiaca sobre su tratamiento?

INTRODUCTION: Heart failure is one of the leading cause of hospital admission because of the lack of adherence to treatment of these patients. This study was designed to know patients knowledge about heart failure. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 75 patients admitted in ward with the diagnosis of heart failure were asked about the illness and the treatment they took. RESULTS: Patients considered weight gain, dyspnea and edemas a cause of consultant to their doctors (99%). They understood as necessary the weight control to their stabilization (82%). One half of the interviewed did not consider important the control of diuresis and water ingestion. Most of the patients thought that mild physical exercise and sodium restriction could improve their physical status (85% and 100% respectively). 24% of the patients considered they could use any kind of non steroid anti-inflammatory drug. 79% of the patients knew the diuretic effect of furosemida and 70% the cardiologic effect of digoxina, all thought only just 46% recognized the use of angiotensin converse enzyme inhibitors for heart failure and blood pressure. The adverse events of these drugs were unknown (56%, 65% and 80% respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with heart failure had poor information about dietary and medical treatment. This could explain the problems their have for the optimal use of effective medication, being poor patients adherence to pharmacologic and dietary therapy a common cause of exacerbation. It would be necessary to increase patients information to avoid heart failure progression and descompensation.

¿Qué información tienen los pacientes ancianos con insuficiencia cardiaca sobre su tratamiento? / What information have old patients with heart failure about their treatment?

Introducción: La insuficiencia cardiaca (IC) es uno de los principales motivos de ingreso hospitalario, viéndose favorecido este hecho por la falta de adherencia al tratamiento de los pacientes. Este estudio fue diseñado para conocer el grado de información sobre la IC con el que cuentan los pacientes. Pacientes y métodos: Se realizó entrevista personalizada a 75 pacientes ingresados con diagnóstico de IC sobre sus conocimientos sobre la enfermedad y el tratamiento que seguían. Resultados: Los pacientes consideraron motivo de consulta el aumento de peso, la disnea y los edemas (99 por ciento), entendiendo como necesario el control del peso para su estabilización (82 por ciento). Hasta un 50 por ciento no considera importante el control de la diuresis ni el de ingesta hídrica. Ven en el ejercicio físico moderado y la restricción de sal un beneficio (85 por ciento y 100 por ciento respectivamente). El 24 por ciento de los pacientes consideró que podían utilizar cualquier tipo de antiinflamatorio no esteroideo (AINEs). Un 79 por ciento de los pacientes reconocen el efecto diurético de la furosemida y un 70 por ciento atribuyen a la digoxina su efecto cardiológico, mientras que tan sólo conocen la utilidad de los Inhibidores de la Enzima Convertidora de Angiotensina (IECAs) un 46 por ciento. Los efectos secundarios de dichos fármacos son, en general, desconocidos (56 por ciento, 65 por ciento y 80 por ciento respectivamente).Conclusiones: El paciente con IC posee escasa información sobre el tratamiento y medidas higiénico-dietéticas relacionadas con su enfermedad, lo que confirma la dificultad de estos pacientes para el cuidado adecuado de su patología. Se debería incidir en este punto para evitar el reingreso de estos pacientes por IC (AU)

Introduction: Heart failure is one of the leading cause of hospital admision because of the lack of adherence to treatment of these patients. This study was designed to know patients knowledge about heart failure. Patients and methods: 75 patiens admited in ward with the diagnosis of heart failure were asked about the illness and the treatment they took. Results: Patiens considered weight gain, dyspnea and edemas a cause of consultant to their doctors (99%). They understood as necesary the weight control to their stabilization (82%). One half of the interviewed did not consider important the control of diuresis and water ingestion. Most of the patients thought that mild physical exercise and sodium restriction could improve their physical status (85% and 100% respectively). 24% of the patiens considered they could use any kind of non steroid anti-inflammatory drug. 79% of the patients knew the diuretic effect of furosemida and 70% the cardiologic effect of digoxina, all thought only just 46% recognized the use of angiotensin converse enzyme inhibitors for heart failure and blood presure. The adverse events of these drugs were unknow (56%, 65% and 80% respectively). Conclusions: Patients with heart failure had poor information about dietary and medical treatment. This could expain the problems their have for the optimal use of effective medication, being poor patients adherence to pharmacologic and dietary therapy a common cause of exacerbation. It would be necesary to increase patients information to avoid heart failure progression and descompensation (AU)