부산대학교 도서관

Introduction: Heart Failure (HF) is a global health problem, and despite much progress in new therapies, its prognosis remains poor. This is due to a number of factors including lack of adherence to HF medications. Previous studies have shown high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) to change with HF progression, and that plasma hsCRP levels can be used to predict HF progression and assessment of adherence to medications. This association however has not been studied in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, including Tanzania. Aim: To study the association between hsCRP levels and HF medications adherence among HF patients attending the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Materials and Methods: This was a hospital based crosssectional study, where all eligible adult HF patients were consecutively enrolled as they attended their regular clinics, until the sample size was reached. Patients’ socio-demographic and clinical information was collected through interviews and chart reviews. An 8-item Morisky tool was used to assess patients’ adherence to HF medications. Blood was collected and analysed for hsCRP, Complete Blood Count (CBC) and cholesterol panel. hsCRP was considered elevated when it was >5 mg/L. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer software, version 21. All tests were 2-sided, and a p-value of