Adherence to Essential Hypertension Treatment Guidelines in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria

Objective: This study determined the level of prescribers’ adherence to the World Health Organization/International Society of Hypertension (WHO/ISH) guidelines for the management of hypertension at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Nigeria. Methods: This study employed a retrospective cross-sectional design. Two groups were used: Group A (300 patients) were treated before the guidelines review in 2003, while Group B (200 patients) were treated after. The two study groups were compared, and systolic blood pressure of 130 mm Hg or above was taken as the index of hypertension. Results: There were 198 (66%) male patients in Group A, while Group B had 136 (68%) males. The highest age for Group A was 50–59 y for 89 (30%) patients, unlike group B that had 58 (29%) patients in aged 40–49 y as the highest. The highest blood pressure range for patients in Group A was 150–159 mm Hg for 64 (21%) patients, unlike Group B that had 43 (22%) patients as the highest in the same range. Furosemide was present in 282 (24%) prescriptions for group A patients. However, atenolol was present in 61 (20%) prescriptions for the same group. In group B, Furosemide was prescribed in 197 (97%) encounters, while Nifedipine was found in 81(40%) prescriptions. Conclusion: Prescribers at LUTH complied substantially with WHO/ISH guidelines in the management of hypertension. Diuretics and beta-blockers were used before the guideline review. After the review, diuretics and calcium channel blockers were the most frequently prescribed antihypertensives.