TY - JOUR
T1 - Drug management for hypertension in type 2 diabetes in family practice
AU - Putnam, Wayne
AU - Buhariwalla, Farokh
AU - Lacey, Kendrick
AU - Goodfellow, Mary
AU - Goodine, Rose Anne
AU - Hall, Jennifer
AU - MacDonald, Ian
AU - Murray, Michael
AU - Smith, Preston
AU - Burge, Fred
AU - Natarajan, Nandini
AU - Lawson, Beverley
PY - 2009/7
Y1 - 2009/7
N2 - OBJECTIVE: To describe the number and classes of antihypertensive medications prescribed to patients with type 2 diabetes in community family practices, and to estimate the aggressiveness or "dosage intensity" of prescribing for hypertension in these situations. DESIGN: Practice-based, cross-sectional observational study. SETTING: Seventeen rural and urban family practices in the Maritime Family Practice Research Network in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 670 patients with type 2 diabetes, ranging from 25 to 92 years of age. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number, classes, and combinations of classes of antihypertensive medications prescribed, as well as an index of each medication's dosage intensity. RESULTS: Almost 80% of patients studied had hypertension. Participants with hypertension were taking an average of 2.5 medications, and 47.6% were taking 3 or more antihypertensive medications, but only 27.1% reached target blood pressure values of less than 130/80 mm Hg. Older patients took more antihypertensive medications, but there were no differences by sex. More than 90% were taking angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, 66% were taking diuretics, 41% were taking β-blockers, and 38% were taking calcium channel blockers. We cannot describe the sequence in which antihypertensive medication classes were added, but analysis of patients taking multiple drug classes suggests that most patients were started on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, followed by diuretics, β-blockers, or calcium channel blockers. The most commonly used medications were prescribed at higher than two-thirds the maximum dose effective for hypertension. CONCLUSION: Hypertension is very common among family practice patients with type 2 diabetes; of those patients, few reach target blood pressures. Practice-based strategies to increase dosing and number of medications prescribed might be required.
AB - OBJECTIVE: To describe the number and classes of antihypertensive medications prescribed to patients with type 2 diabetes in community family practices, and to estimate the aggressiveness or "dosage intensity" of prescribing for hypertension in these situations. DESIGN: Practice-based, cross-sectional observational study. SETTING: Seventeen rural and urban family practices in the Maritime Family Practice Research Network in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 670 patients with type 2 diabetes, ranging from 25 to 92 years of age. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number, classes, and combinations of classes of antihypertensive medications prescribed, as well as an index of each medication's dosage intensity. RESULTS: Almost 80% of patients studied had hypertension. Participants with hypertension were taking an average of 2.5 medications, and 47.6% were taking 3 or more antihypertensive medications, but only 27.1% reached target blood pressure values of less than 130/80 mm Hg. Older patients took more antihypertensive medications, but there were no differences by sex. More than 90% were taking angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, 66% were taking diuretics, 41% were taking β-blockers, and 38% were taking calcium channel blockers. We cannot describe the sequence in which antihypertensive medication classes were added, but analysis of patients taking multiple drug classes suggests that most patients were started on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, followed by diuretics, β-blockers, or calcium channel blockers. The most commonly used medications were prescribed at higher than two-thirds the maximum dose effective for hypertension. CONCLUSION: Hypertension is very common among family practice patients with type 2 diabetes; of those patients, few reach target blood pressures. Practice-based strategies to increase dosing and number of medications prescribed might be required.
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M3 - Article
C2 - 19602663
AN - SCOPUS:67651172916
SN - 0008-350X
VL - 55
SP - 728
EP - 734
JO - Canadian Family Physician
JF - Canadian Family Physician
IS - 7
ER -
