Disparities in patients’ understanding of cardiovascular disease management

Rumaanah Ayob, Muhammed Vally, Razeeya Khan, Ané Orchard

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), are some of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Despite the effectiveness of early diagnostic and treatment options, patient screening, disease detection and disease progression remain a challenge, resulting in suboptimal outcomes. Consequently, cardiovascular diseases remain underdiagnosed and undertreated, particularly in developing countries. Several barriers, including paucity of recommended cardiovascular health information and low literacy levels, lead to a poor understanding of the importance of intervention in terms of modifiable risk factors as well as treatment adherence. This narrative review focuses on cardiovascular patients’ understanding of their disease, and the need for compliance with their medication and lifestyle modifications. Low levels of perception and insufficient knowledge of CVDs among patients continue to be indispensably important factors in health behaviour. Increased awareness of these issues has the potential to improve the effectiveness of the multidisciplinary cardiovascular team and ultimately improve the care provided to these patients.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)178-184
Number of pages7
JournalCardiovascular Journal of Africa
Volume35
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2024
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • complications
  • diabetes
  • dyslipidaemia
  • hypertension
  • lifestyle modifications
  • macro-vascular
  • microvascular
  • risk factors
  • treatment adherence

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