Illness and Disease – The Impact of Chronic Illness

Illness and Disease – The Impact of Chronic Illness

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a chronic health condition characterized by the blood pressure within the blood vessels being too high at 140/90 mmHg or higher. Hypertension is majorly associated with older age, genetics, excessive salt consumption, obesity, lack of physical activity, and prolonged periods of stress (Fryar et al., 2023). When left untreated, hypertension is a risk factor for the development of chronic conditions such as heart attack, heart disease, kidney complications, chest pain, stroke, and brain functional issues. Hypertension has the potential to disrupt an individual’s daily life, family dynamics, and relationships, contribute to the burden of disease, and also lead to premature death. Consequently, this makes it a major public health challenge. The World Health Organization (2023) estimates that over 1.28 billion people aged between 30 and 79 years old are living with hypertension globally. Of these, 46% remain undiagnosed and are unaware of their hypertensive condition. Only 21% of adults with diagnosed hypertension are under treatment and have it under control. Due to its prevalence and impact on public and population health, hypertension is among the major goals of Health People 2030. The main Health People 2030 (HP2030) objective on hypertension is to reduce the proportion of people living with hypertension, especially adults (Healthy People 2030, n.d.). This article reviews and analyzes an interview with an individual diagnosed with hypertension, D.K., discusses his coping skills, treatment, and support, and develops a management plan in line with the HP2030 goals for hypertension.

A Description of the Interviewee

I selected D.K., a family friend for the interview. D.K. is a 42-year-old White man who lives within the local town center. D.K. is a family man who is married to Mrs. K.K. They have been married for the last 12 years. They have two children: a son, who is 12 years old, and a daughter, who has just turned 9 years old. D.K. is a trained mechanic and motor vehicle electrical engineer and runs a tire shop, a car repair shop, and a garage. He has gained some weight in the last few years and notes that the current market is not performing. He has been growing more concerned about the future of his business and his two children. His work is demanding, and he has a hard time balancing family time and work. This has been creating a problem in his marriage. He has been developing some stress and feeling pressured by life in general. About a month ago, after a period of experiencing headaches, chest pains, and feeling dull, he visited the clinic and was diagnosed with hypertension.

Questionnaire Analysis

I interviewed D.K. using a previously developed 12-question questionnaire to best understand his current condition, treatment methods currently used, and coping skills to help develop a targeted care plan. This is an analysis of his responses during the interview (See – Appendix).

Coping Skills

The first step toward developing coping skills after a diagnosis of any condition is understanding the triggers of the symptoms and acceptance of the diagnosis. Based on the interview, D.K. understands what may have led to the development of hypertension. He notes that he has a lot of work pressure and pressure from family responsibilities despite a failing business and is currently having issues with his wife. From the interview, it is clear that D.K. has accepted his diagnosis of high blood pressure well. He notes that he talked to his wife after the hypertension diagnosis. She was quite skeptical and denial in the first few days. She said it was not an actual diagnosis and wanted to go and get another test from a different hospital. However, after accompanying D.K. to the clinic and talking to the physician, she accepted the diagnosis. She has been quite helpful since then, especially in making necessary changes in their life to improve D.K.’s condition and symptoms.

From the interview, D.K. now understands the need to balance his work and family. Since the diagnosis, in collaboration with the physician and his wife, he has been developing various coping styles. He is currently engaged in regular blood pressure monitoring, which is a key coping skill. He also keeps a journal for his blood pressure and other symptoms, as the physician had requested.

He has been talking to a marriage counselor to straighten things with his wife. He notes that he does everything possible to avoid any more pressure and stress. He has started a home gym as a coping strategy. However, he notes that regular exercises have been challenging due to his work and the need to create time to be with his family. Additionally, as a coping style, D.K. chooses to spend the evenings with his family rather than go out to drink beer with his friends.

Treatment

D.K. is currently on Benazepril (Lotensin) 10 mg/day orally. He notes that the prescribing officer asked him if he was on any other medications. He is currently not using any other medications besides the prescribed Benazepril. He notes that he adheres to the dosages as prescribed and has never missed a dose. Besides the medication, the physician recommended he make some lifestyle adjustments, which he has yet to do. He is concerned about how the medications may affect his health in the long term since a friend told him such medications may cause liver and kidney problems in the long term.

Support

D.K. currently has good support from his family. He talked to his wife about his hypertension. Although she was in denial for the first time, she has accepted it and has been helping him make necessary adjustments. Since they have been seeing a marriage counselor and D.K. is slowly creating time for her and the children, she is no longer having issues with him. He also has access to the local clinic’s physician, who has been providing medical advice to him since he visited the clinic and was diagnosed with hypertension. However, he has yet to tell his children and many of his friends. Only one of them knows, and he has been supportive. He notes that the local community gym and social center have resources for people like him, and he is sure he will get enough support there.

Care Plan Development

The information collected from the interview with D.K. will significantly help develop his care plan to help manage hypertension and other underlying factors. First, the information has helped me understand his symptoms and experiences with the symptoms related to hypertension. This is important as it highlights how well D.K. knows about hypertension and what he needs to be educated about for the best self-management of hypertension. The interview helps one understand the underlying physical, psychological, and biological factors and lifestyle behaviors that contribute to the development of hypertension. The interview further helps identify the current support systems, access to medication, current medications used, and available and accessible community resources, which can help make necessary modifications to the care plan to meet the needs of D.K. It further helps identify his progress in managing the symptoms and the contributing factors. These pieces of information will help me develop a patient-centered care plan that is individualized based on D.K.’s needs. Additionally, a patient-centered care plan will help address the primary hypertensive condition and symptoms and any other underlying and contributing factors.

Conclusion

Hypertension is a chronic public health concern. It remains a priority goal of Healthy People 2030’s objective of heart disease and stroke as well as reducing cardiovascular disease risk and related complications. Developing a patient-centered care management plan for hypertension requires the understanding of an individual’s experience of hypertension. As noted in the interview results with D.K., responses during medical interviews can highlight important aspects, including coping skills, current treatments, and available support systems that are necessary for developing a care management plan.

References

Fryar, C. D., Afful, J., Carroll, M. D., Kuo, T., & Kit, B. (2023). Hypertension prevalence, treatment, and control among adults: Los Angeles county and the United States, 2015-2018. https://doi.org/10.15620/CDC:134503

Healthy People 2030. (n.d.). Reduce the proportion of adults with high blood pressure — HDS‑04 – Healthy People 2030 | health.gov. HealthGov. https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/heart-disease-and-stroke/reduce-proportion-adults-high-blood-pressure-hds-04

World Health Organization. (2023, March 16). Hypertension. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hypertension

Appendix

Interview with D.K

1. Demographic Information:
   • Name: D.K.
   • Age: 42-years-old
   • Gender: Male
   • Marital status: Married
   • Occupation: Tire shop, car repairs shop, and garage

2. Have you experienced any symptoms related to hypertension, such as headaches, dizziness, or chest pain?

Yes. I have experienced these symptoms, especially the occasional headaches and some chest pain. However, I have not felt dizzy so far. The headaches and the feeling in my chest are why I went for a checkup.

3. Have you been diagnosed with hypertension? If yes, when was it diagnosed?

Yes, I was diagnosed with hypertension about a month ago.

4. Have you noticed any specific triggers that may increase your blood pressure?

Yeah. I can relate a larger part of this blood pressure thing from my business and family pressure. My business today is not performing that well. Business is a bit down, and you know I have two kids I have to take care of. And I have been spending more time at the shop, and my wife has been complaining a lot. I can say my marriage hasn’t been that good. But we are working on it.

5. Have you been monitoring your blood pressure, and if yes, do you keep a journal?

Yes. The physician actually told me to check and record all readings regularly. I’ve been keeping a blood pressure journal for the last two weeks. I understand that it will help me notice any patterns or changes in my blood pressure.

6. Has anyone in your family ever been diagnosed with hypertension or cardiovascular disease?

Yes. My late mother had cardiovascular disease and was also diagnosed with high blood pressure. Two of my paternal uncles have also been diagnosed with hypertension. My grandfather died of a heart attack, although he was old enough.

7. Currently, have you been taking any medications, whether or not related to hypertension or any other related disease?

I am currently using a drug called Lotensin. My doctor said I should be taking only one dose of 10mg daily, especially in the morning. I googled it, and I found that it is also called Benazepril. I only started using it two weeks ago. I had medications. This is the only medication I am using because the doctor said it was important.

8. How do you manage the stress in your daily life? Exercise, meditation, or hobbies?

I don’t know. My shop is my stress and, at the same time, my stress reliever. I spent a lot of time there. And most of the time, when I feel too stressed or something, I usually go hang out with my buddies at the local pub and drink a couple of beers. However, since I got diagnosed with diabetes and I have been talking to the marriage counselor, I have started doing a little bit of exercising and spending more time with my family. It is actually helping a lot to manage the daily pressures of living.

9. Do you live with your family, and if yes, how is your relationship with the people in your family?

Yes, I live with my wife and two kids. My boy is 12, and my daughter just turned 9. The relationship with my kids is great, but with my wife, we have been having some issues. We went to see a marriage counselor, and things are getting back well.

10. Have you talked to anyone about your hypertension?

Yeah. I talked to my wife and my buddy. My wife was initially in denial, but we talked about it with the physician now that she has accepted it.

11. Do you have any challenges managing your hypertension, including access to medications or adhering to the prescribed medications?

The only challenge is making the lifestyle changes, especially actual exercising. I used to believe that working at the shop gave me enough exercise, but I was told I needed more physical exercise. I am also concerned about the cost of medications in the long run. I have no issues with medication adherence. However, my buddy says some of these medications cause heart and liver problems. That is quite concerning.

12. Do you have any barriers that may hinder you from maintaining a healthy lifestyle?

The main barrier is time. My job is demanding and requires that I be there all the time. But I will work on something. Another issue is related to my friends. We drink a lot of beer. I will try to work on that, too.

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Week 2 Project Formatting Instructions and Comments

The Impact of Chronic Illness

In a Microsoft Word document of 4-5 pages formatted in APA style, describe the information collected about a person with a chronic illness. Please note that the title and reference pages should not be included in the total page count of your paper.
Identify one person from the illness group you chose in Week 1 to interview. The person should not be a patient at the facility in which you work. You can use friends, family members, or coworkers. Do not use the person’s name in the paper, only
Initials.

Administer the questionnaire you created in Week 1 to that person and address the following. Compile the data and analyze the responses to better illustrate where this person, his or her family, and friends are in relation to accepting the diagnosis in relation to the standard health or illness definitions. The analysis should also include coping skills, treatment, and support aspects of the illness.
Use the headings in bold below. The headings are Level 1 and should be centered and in bold writing.

Introduction

Questionnaire Analysis

Coping Skills

Treatment

Support

Care Plan Development Explain how this information will direct Care Plan Development for the chosen Illness group.

Conclusion

Include a copy of the Interview you created with the responses from the person interviewed in an Appendix.
Support your responses with examples and information from library resources, textbooks, and lectures.
On a separate references page, cite all sources using APA format. Review the APA TIPS and Sample APA paper posted in the
Announcements.

The topic is a chronic illness, hypertension, the sources must be found within “Health people 2030”, administer a hypertension questionnaire to a person with hypertension.