Abstract
Objective: Patients with hypertension often suffer from other comorbidities, resulting in prescriptions of multiple drugs to treat the conditions. Multiple drug treatment is potentially associated with drug interactions. This aim of the study was to assess potential drug interactions in hypertensive patients in Liwa District Hospital.Methods: The design of the study was cross-sectional. The prescriptions for in-patients with essential hypertension in the Internal Medicine Unit in Liwa District Hospital during April-December 2012 were collected. Potential drug interactions were analyzed with the Drug Interaction Facts version 4.0, and classified into minor, significant, and serious.Results: A total of 60 hypertensive patients were included. They were prescribed 265 prescriptions, with a median total of 6 (range 1-21) drugs prescribed per prescription. There were 1616 potential drug interactions, with 6 (1-31) potential interactions per prescription. Most interactions (75.6%) were classified as significant. Serious potential interactions were most common in the combinations of diltiazem-amlodipine and spironolactone-potassium chloride, while significant potential interaction may occur most often with the combinations of calcium chloride-amlodipine and bisoprolol-amlodipine.Conclusion: Numerous potential drug interactions might occur in hypertensive patients, and most interactions were significant in severity. The largest proportion of the interactions occurred between antihypertensive agents and other drugs.
Highlights
Hypertension is still one of the most substantial challenges in healthcare in Indonesia
The interaction might occur between antihypertensive agents themselves or between antihypertensive agent and other drugs, and among other groups outside of antihypertensive agents, due to the concomitant diseases that usually occur in patients with hypertension in the age range included in this study, as shown by the number of drugs prescribed per prescription
A previous study in India [15] showed that, from 899 hypertensive patients in the study, 87% were at risk of potential drug interactions, while in our study every patient was at risk of having potential drug interactions
Summary
Hypertension is still one of the most substantial challenges in healthcare in Indonesia. Based on Basic Health Survey 2013, the prevalence of hypertension was still high (25.8%), with evidence of inadequate control despite many available antihypertensive agents [1]. Increasing age, gender, educational level, body mass index, smoking, alcohol drinking, and underlying diseases are associated with the prevalence of hypertension [2]. It has been suggested that different areas with different socioeconomic status might have different prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension [3]. Hypertension itself is problematic since it is the risk factor of many cardiovascular diseases [4, 5], and may lead to myocardial infarction, stroke, renal failure, and death. Better blood pressure measurement can increase awareness towards hypertension, facilitate treatment, better hypertension control, and better outcomes [6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
