O SIGNIFICADO E A REPRESENTAÇÃO DA DOENÇA CRÔNICA: CONHECIMENTO DO PORTADOR DE HIPERTENSÃO ARTERIAL ACERCA DE SUA ENFERMIDADE

It is a quanti-qualitative study held at a health center in Curitiba municipality/Brazil from November/2005 to May/2008. The study aimed to identify and describe the knowledge on the disease of active users enrolled in the hypertension program. Data were collected by means of a semi-structured interview with 69 users. Among the total participants, 45 were female users, 36 of them between 41 and 60 years of age, and 37 with non-concluded elementary educational level. The users knew, defined the disease and were aware of its main complications but this did not raise their knowledge of hypertension as a chronic condition. The existence of the disease to users was represented by changes in consistency of blood, heart arteries, and emotional state.