Compliance and Adverse drug Effects
of Antihypertensives in Rural India
775-779
Correspondence
Dr Sunil Kale, Assistant Professor,
Department of Pharmacology,
Padmashri Dr. Vithalrao Vikhe Patil Foundation Medical College
Ahmednagar (MS), India.
Background: Hypertension is the most prevalent health problem among adult primary care patients, but its recognition and treatment are suboptimal. Adherence and persistence have been studied in patients of hypertension in this study.
Material and Methods: 491 patients suffering from hypertension and coming to the OPD of a rural medical hospital in Loni were examined in a prospective study over a year after giving the prescribed antihypertensive medication from Oct 2004 to May 2006.
Results: A decrease in blood pressure was observed in patients treated with one pill per day as compared to patients being treated with two and three pills per day. Compliance was significantly better in patients in combination therapy as compared to monotherapy. Cost is an important determinant in deciding compliance.
Conclusion: Low dose combination therapy is more effective and is well tolerated than high dose monotherapy. Moreover, the incidence of ADR was observed to be significantly lower with low dose combination therapy in addition to better compliance.