COMBINATION THERAPY BEATS IN DRUG UTILIZATION PATTERN IN UNCOMPLICATED HYPERTENSION IN AN URBAN TERTIARY TEACHING HOSPITAL.

Kailash Chandra Swain*

ABSTRACT

Background: Drug prescription is common strategy to control the blood pressure that goes beyond 140 SBP and 90 mmHg DBP in 24 hour Ambulatory blood pressure measurement, so diagnosed as hypertension. The management & treatment of hypertension is highly individualized in, stepped- care- approachâ€Â. Generally, to start with, recommendation to mono-therapy is suggested, but however, combination therapy is also sometime required depending on the clinical state of the individual patient. Aims: Thus, the aim of this study is to find the visionary concept on the mono or combination drug utilization pattern in essential hypertension. Methods: Total of 280 patients diagnosed with hypertension without comorbidity were recruited, the OPD prescription slips and inpatient case sheets were screened, all the data were recorded and analysis was done as per the record. Result: Combination therapy overwhelms mono-therapy and found to have higher utilization rate than mono-therapy to control the blood pressure within safety limit. Conclusion: This study concludes that combination/ dual therapy utilization rate is higher than mono-therapy in Gangtok, East Sikkim, India.

Keywords: Combinationtherapy, Monotherapy, Utilization. Hypertension.