Planeación y cumplimiento de metas del tratamiento de la hipertensión arterial sistémica en el anciano

Introduction: Non-compliance with hypertensive treatment goals promotes the early onset of cognitive impairments and affects the functionality of the elderly. One of the functions affected is planning, a component of the executive functions which allows the individual to schedule tasks and make decisions. Objective: Determine the relationship between planning and the goals for compliance related to the hypertensive treatment in the elderly. Methodology: Descriptive-correlational design that included 52 people over the age of 60, men and women, diagnosed with systemic hypertension, recruited into mutual aid groups in the State of Jalisco. The Tower of London test was applied and blood pressure, body mass index, total cholesterol, sodium and tobacco consumption were measured. Several measurements were made in order to establish the relationship between them. Results: Women predominated (80.8%), average age was 70.2 years (SD-6.8) and the evolution of the occurrence of systemic hypertension was 11.0 years (SD-7.3). Weak correlations (p=<.05) were identified between blood pressure and total of correct movements, blood pressure and total time of resolution; as well as between the body mass index and the total rule violation. Conclusion: The elderly with the greatest difficulties in planning were the ones who had the greatest non-compliance of the hypertensive treatment and specifically the body mass index, therefore, health professionals must link the efforts that support the elderly regarding the changes in lifestyle.