Socio-demographic characteristics and quality of life of elderly patients with systemic arterial hypertension who live in rural areas: the importance of nurses' role

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe the socio-demographic characteristics and quality of life of elderly patients with systemic arterial hypertension; to correlate the quality of life with the time of diagnosis and number of medication, as well as to compare the quality of life with the type of medication. METHOD: In this cross sectional home survey design, 460 elderly people from rural areas were involved. The data was collected with the use of the following instruments: World Health Organization Quality of Life-bref and World Health Organization Quality of Life Olders. A descriptive analysis, Pearson correlation and t-Student test (p<0.05) were undertaken. RESULTS: Predominant patient characteristics were: women between the age of 60 and 70, married, four to eight years of formal education, income of one minimum wage, living with their partners. The time of diagnosis was associated with lower quality of life in the physical domain. Elderly patients who used Inhibitors and Angiotensin Converting Enzyme and who did not use AT1 blocker had lower scores in relation to functioning of the senses. Those who used calcium channel blocker scored higher in relation to autonomy. CONCLUSION: there is a need for actions to control systemic arterial hypertension and its associated complications, with the purpose of improving quality of life.