A retrospective study of the drug prescribing patterns in geriatric hypertensive patients in a tertiary care teaching hospital, udaipur, India

Background: The incidence of hypertension increases with progression of age, making it the most dominant and common morbid condition in the elderly (> 65 years). Objective: The main objective of the present study was to analyze the drug prescribing pattern for anti-hypertensives in geriatric patients. Methodology: A retrospective observational study was conducted in our institution, from 1st July 2012 to 31st December 2013. Elderly patients who have been diagnosed with hypertension as per JNC-7 guidelines and patients prescribed with antihypertensive drugs were included. The case files of Indoor and Outdoor patients were retrieved from Medical Record Department and data was collected according to the proforma. Results: In our study, the total numbers of patients with hypertension were 300. The incidence of disease was more common in males. In our study 78% of the patients were Pre-Hypertensive systolic (120-139 mmHg) and Diastolic (80-89 mmHg) followed by Stage-I and Stage-II Hypertension. The most common drugs involved in the study were calcium channel blockers 43% followed by angiotensin II receptor blockers 18%. The most commonly prescribed drugs in the study population were amlodipine 43%, losartan 10% and telmisartan 8%. The most common FDC therapy involved in the study was telmisartan + hydrochlorthiazide 17%. The most common two drug combination therapy involved in the study was amlodipine + atenolol 5%, followed by metoprolol + amlodipine 2%. Conclusion: Study indicates that calcium channel blockers and angiotensin II receptor blockers were commonly prescribed. Use of anti-hypertensive drug combination was significant.