Key result
CCB monotherapy lowers systolic blood pressure by ~31 mmHg, with bitherapy most commonly prescribed.
Why the study?
Hypertension is a leading cause of premature death with higher prevalence in low- and middle-income countries, and prior studies on antihypertensive prescription patterns found inconsistencies that necessitated thorough investigation into prescribing practices.
What are the antihypertensive drug prescription patterns, drug-related problems, and their impact on blood pressure control in Nigerian hypertensive outpatients?
Cross-Sectional (n=280)
No
What are the antihypertensive drug prescription patterns, drug-related problems, and their impact on blood pressure control in Nigerian hypertensive outpatients?
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
In a Nigerian tertiary hospital outpatient setting, combination antihypertensive therapy was predominantly prescribed in alignment with guidelines, with calcium channel blocker and thiazide diuretic-based regimens demonstrating the greatest reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Background -Hypertension is a leading cause of premature death globally and its prevalence is higher in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs) than in high countries. Studies on prescription patterns of ant-hypertensive found inconsistencies, thereby necessitating thorough investigations into the prescribing practices. Method - The study was a retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study of antihypertensive medicines prescriptions conducted at the Medical Outpatient Department of a tertiary hospital in southeastern part of Nigeria. Data were analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences software version 23.0 for windows and an independent sample t-test was used to determine the effect of identified drug related problems on the patients BP control. A p-value < 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant with 95% confidence interval to test the level of significance. Results - Bitherapy (45.36%) was the most common used form of prescribed therapy. Adverse drug reactions is one of the identified drug related problems and was statistically significant at p-value < 0.001 in the BP controlled versus uncontrolled group. Among the monotherapy prescribed, calcium channel blockers (CCB) had the highest systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) mean value reductions of 31.14 mmHg and 16.00 mmHg, respectively . Among the combination therapies prescribed, CCB + THZ (Thiazide-type diuretics) + ACEI (Angiotensin Converting Enzymes Inhibitors) showed the highest SBP and DBP mean value reductions with 30.22 mmHg and 17.62 mmHg respectively Conclusion – Majority of the healthcare providers in the hospital adhered to the hypertension treatment guidelines. The average number of prescription per encounter were more than two anti-hypertensive medications and a few number of anti-hypertensives were prescribed using brand names. Patients experienced adverse drug reactions more than any other identified drug related problems. Calcium Channel Blockers, Thiazide-type diuretics and their combination-based were more effective in reducing both the systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure compared to other agents. Keywords
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Chukwunwike et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Hypertension (n=280). Antihypertensive medication regimens (CCB, THZ, ACEI, BB monotherapy and combinations) vs. Different antihypertensive classes and Controlled vs. Uncontrolled BP groups was evaluated on Blood pressure control and presence of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) (p=<0.001).
Synapse has enriched 8 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: