TMSS Medical College Journal

Hypertension (HTN) affects approximately 1 billion people worldwide. The prevalence of HTN increase with age and even further unless broad and effective preventive measures are implemented. Age, obesity, lifestyle, smoking and alcohol use play significant role in prevalence of essential HTN. The use of antihypertensive drugs was observed in overall population. Out of total 156 patients, the distribution of Antihypertensive Agents (AHA) were- Calcium Channel Blockers (CCB) (65%), Beta Blockers (BB) (52%), Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) (19%), Diuretics (28%) and Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARB) (9%). Among individual drugs, 102 patients were on Amlodepine, 39 on Hydrochlorthiazide, 82 on Atenolol, 14 on Losartan, and 30 subjects were on Enalapril. With respect to overall utilization, Calcium Channel Blockers (Amlodepine) were observed to be the most frequently prescribed AHAs, Beta Blockers (Atenolol) ranked second followed by Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (Enalapril), Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (Losartan) and Diuretics (Hydrochlorothiazide). Within each class of AHA used the most frequently used were Calcium Channel Blockers, (Amlodepine- 97.14% and Nefidipine- 2.86%) followed by Beta Blockers (Atenolol) 97.6% and Metoprolol 2.4%, Angiotensin convertin enzyme inhibitors (Enalapril 96.77% and Lisinopril 3.23%), Diuretics (Hydrochlorthiazide 88.63% and Loop Diuretics 11.35%), Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (Losartan). Both in ‘monotherapy and combination therapy, the most preferred AHA remains Amlodepine. In combination therapy, the most extensively used combination was Amlodepine with Atenolol. Calcium Channel Blockers were appropriately prescribed in significant number of patients above 50 years. Angiotensin Receptor Blockers account for a very small proportion of drug use profile, which may be due to the high cost and lower availability of these drugs.

Hypertension (HTN) is the term used to denote elevated blood pressure. It is defined as the condition in which the blood pressure remains consistent to Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) >140mm Hg and Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) > 90mm Hg! HTN can lead to heart disease, kidney disease, ocular disease or blindness and stroke. HTN is one of the major public health problems in Bangladesh. High blood pressure is called “the silent killer" because it usually has no symptoms. Some people may not find out they have it until they have trouble with their heart, brain, or kidneys”. Arterial HTN, which is one of the main causes of coronary vascular disease, is responsible for nearly 20% of all deaths worldwide (nearly 10 million). These are the principal cause of death in all developed countries accounting for 50% of all deaths and are also emerging as a prominent public health problem in developing countries, ranking third with nearly 16% of al deaths.’ There is a lack of representative data on the prevalence of hypertension in the Bangladeshi population. One meta-analysis conducted by Zaman and Rouf in 1999 on the prevalence of hypertension in the Bangladeshi adult population included studies from 1976 to 1994, and estimated the prevalence tobe 11.3%