THE EFFECT OF RED DRAGON FRUIT (HYLOCEREUS POLYRHIZUS) ON BLOOD PRESSURE CHANGES IN HYPERTENSION PATIENTS IN THE WORKING AREA OF THE NGARIBOYO PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER, MAGETAN

Hypertension is a medical condition characterized by a persistent increase in blood pressure ≥ 140/90 mmHg. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a combination of antihypertensive drugs with red dragon fruit and hypertensive patients with antihypertensive drug consumption alone, on changes in blood pressure in hypertensive patients in the Ngariboyo Health Center work area. This study used a quantitative approach, namely using a Quasi Eksperiment Pre-test and Post-test Nonequivalent Control Group, and involving 20 respondents from 40 populations using a purposive sampling technique. With two groups and using a digital tensiometer instrument and observation sheets. Data analysis was carried out using the Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney U tests. The results of the Wilcoxon test showed that blood pressure decreased significantly in both groups, namely with a p-value of 0.005 (p value ≤ 0.05). The intervention group experienced a more stable decrease because they received a combination of treatments, namely cut red dragon fruit in the morning as much as 200 grams/day. The results of the Mann-Whitney U test showed a significant difference in systolic blood pressure with a p-value of 0.045 and diastolic p-value of 0.048, because both have a p-value ≤ 0.05 indicating that the combination of therapy using red dragon fruit is more effective. The potassium content in red dragon fruit has been shown to strengthen the effects of antihypertensive drugs. Alternative red dragon fruit is the right one as a supporting therapy for people with hypertension.