Order #: 15192

Authors:

Qureshi, S., Tyler, D., Post, P.

Title:

Hypertension and Homelessness: What Interferes with Treatment.

Source:

Homeless Health Care Case Report: Sharing Practice-Based Experience 2(2): 1-6, 2006. (Journal Article: 6 Pages)

Abstract:

This article examines the factors that interfere with the treatment of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases in homeless adults, who are two-to-four times more likely to have these afflictions at younger ages than either the general population or low-income adults with stable housing.  Among the factors that increase their risk are poor diet and excessive use of alcohol, nicotine and other drugs that exacerbate heart attack and stroke, or kidney failure.  Management of cardiovascular diseases is particularly challenging for individuals who are homeless.  Dietary limitations, transience, and co-occurring behavioral disorders exacerbate hypertension and frequently interfere with treatment adherence and lifestyle modifications.  Approximately one in three homeless Americans has a substance use disorder, compared to one in five adults in the general population.  Nonadherance is one of the most difficult challenges that clinicians face in caring for displaced individuals, as this case vividly illustrates (authors).