Prescribing Pattern of Anti-Hypertensive Drugs and Adherence to JNC VII Guideline

摘要

Introduction: Hypertension is an important public health concern because of its associated morbidity, mortality and economic impact on society. It is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and renal complications. A number of national and international guidelines for the management of hypertension have been published. The Joint National Committee (JNC) in 2003 published a series of guidelines to recommend the appropriate antihypertensive therapy based on the best available evidence. Objectives: This drug utilization study was intended to find out the preferred drug group prescribed either alone or in combinations and their adherence to the JNC 7 guidelines. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study. Drug utilization data on 100 hypertensive patients were collected from various hospitals in Nepal. The patients who received antihypertensive drugs during their treatment period in SPSS V. 16.0. The prescribed drugs were compared with JNC 7 guidelines. Results: It was found that 40% of patients were male and 60% were female. The largest subset of female hypertensive patients (45.0%) were in the age group of &60 years and a plurality of male hypertensive patients (45.0%) were in the age group of 40–60 years. It was found that 45% of the patients had Stage 1 hypertension, 32% of the patients were in prehypertension, 17% of the patients had Stage 2 hypertension. The most frequently prescribed antihypertensive drug regimens were angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) (32.44%), ARB + thiazide (15.94%), diuretics (11.59%), calcium channel blockers (CCBs) + beta blockers (9.42%) and CCBs (8.7%). Thirty-nine percent received monotherapy while the remaining 61% received combination therapy. Seventy-four percent of the total prescriptions followed JNC 7 guidelines. Conclusion: There is a need to follow official guidelines in managing hypertension as a chronic disease, since these guidelines are based on various clinical trials, and the successful attainment of a target BP in patients will be made much easier by implementing them. National health policymakers should consider the evaluation and treatment of hypertension as a right in the public health system for better outcomes in terms of morbidity and mortality from hypertension.