Inpharma 1543 - 24 Jun 2006

Antihypertensive prescribingchanging in elderly Canadians

Treatment patterns among elderly Canadians withdiabetes mellitus and hypertension have changed in thelast decade, with physicians becoming "more aggressivein their treatment" according to Canadian researchers.

They cross-linked data from the Ontario DiabetesDatabase with the Ontario Drug Benefit Database, torecord the treatment regimens of 27 822 patients whohad diabetes and were being newly treated forhypertension. Between January 1995 to December2001, patients were followed for 2 years followinginitiation of their antihypertensives.

Within the first 2 years of diagnosis, the proportionsof patients receiving different forms of hypertensionmanagement were as follows: monotherapy 73%, twodrugs 22% and three or more drugs, 5%. Throughout thestudy, the classes of antihypertensives most commonlyprescribed were ACE inhibitors (68%), thiazide diuretics(15%), and calcium channel antagonists (9%). Over thestudy period, the population-adjusted rate of newantihypertensives prescriptions increased by 46%.Notably, the number of newly-treated patients takingmore than one antihypertensive agent increased from21% in 1995, to 32% in 2001 (p < 0.0001). Theproportion of initial ACE inhibitor prescriptionsincreased significantly from 54% to 76%, though initialprescriptions for thiazide diuretics and calcium channelantagonists decreased. Additionally, the number ofpatients discontinuing treatment significantly decreasedover time (30% in 1995 to 19% in 2001).McAlister FA, et al. Antihypertensive medication prescribing in 27, 822 elderlyCanadians with diabetes over the past decade. Diabetes Care 29: 836-841, No. 4,Apr 2006 801065287

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Inpharma 24 Jun 2006 No. 15431173-8324/10/1543-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved