DRUG USAGE PATTERN OF ANTIHYPERTENSIVES IN DIABETIC PATIENTS – A CROSS-SECTIONAL OPD-BASED STUDY IN A TERTIARY CARE SET-UP

Objective: The objective of this study was to observe the pattern of utilization of different groups of antihypertensive drugs in patients with diabetes in a tertiary care hospital and correlate the data obtained from the study.
Methods: It was an institution-based cross-sectional study; the present study was carried out at M.G.M. Medical College and L.S.K. Hospital in Kishanganj, Bihar, in the Department of Pharmacology. This study included 520 diabetes mellitus patients with hypertensive disorders who presented to the Department of Medicine at M.G.M. Medical College and L.S.K. Hospital, Kishanganj, during the study period (June 2021–May 2022).
Results: When we appeared at the prescribing patterns of antidiabetic drugs, we found that metformin was the most common (80%), followed by sulfonylureas (65%), DDP4 inhibitors (56.7%), and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (5%). An evaluation of the pattern of hypertensive drugs prescribed to study subjects revealed that monotherapy was the preferred option (77.1%) over combination therapy (22.9%). Telmisartan (32.4%) is the most common drug used in monotherapy among the study subjects included in the present study, followed by Amlodipine (27.4%) and Metoprolol (14.5%), Bisoprolol (14.5%), and Clinidipine (11.2%), respectively.
Conclusion: The evaluation of all medications prescribed was reasonable and in compliance with JNC-8 treatment guidelines. Further, research is needed to qualify the rationale for drug choice based on demographics, economic status, comorbidities, and complications to provide additional insight into antihypertensive drug prescribing patterns in people with diabetes so the results can be translated for broader and more real benefits can become a medical community.