KAJIAN KEAMANAN PEMAKAIAN OBAT ANTI-HIPERTENSI DI POLIKLINIK USIA LANJUT INSTALASI RAWAT JALAN RS DR SARDJITO

Increasing age is generally followed by increasing chronic diseases so that the elderly needs much therapy using drugs for therapy of numerous diseases they have. Hyper-tension is one of diseases of which its prevalence increases along with increasing age.Most of the elderly diagnosed as having hypertension finally take therapy using anti-hypertension drugs. Physiological changes that happen to the elderly lead to use ofdrugs for side effect diseases of which their consumption should be considered while having anti-hypertension drugs. Changes in biological system to the elderly will af-fect the process of drug molecular interaction, which finally affects clinical efficacyand pharmacotherapeutic safety. Meanwhile, minimizing the problem of drug use insecurity is one of good prescription demands in the implementation of clinical pharmacy. To identify and study safety of anti-hypertension drug use at the elderlypolyclinic of Dr. Sardjito Hospital Outpatient Installation by identifying and evalu-ating contraindication, interaction and side effect of anti-hypertension drugs. This was a descriptive study with data taken prospectivelly from 80 patients of the elderly polyclinic of Dr. Sardjito Hospital Outpatients Installation from November 14 to December 13, 2005. Data were obtained from medical records, interviews and ques-tionnaires. The study on contraindication, interaction and side effect of drugs whichhappened was based on a guideline book. There was 27.5% of patients took anti-hypertension drugs which were not beneficial to patients’ clinical condition, so the that use of  antihypertension drugs needs monitoring. As much as 41.3% of patients took combined drugs potential to cause interaction, 8.7% of which had clinical symp-toms presumed to be related with possibility of increasing drug interaction effect. Asmuch as 33.8% of patients had at least one drug side effect considered to be related or possibly related with anti-hypertension medication. Use of anti-hypertension drugsamong the elderly had not been relatively safe because there was drug combination potential of causing interaction, light drug side effect and the possibility of contrain-dication due to use of anti-hypertension drugs which was not beneficial to patients’clinical condition so that monitoring to use of anti-hypertension drugs was needed.Keywords: elderly, hypertension, contraindication, interaction, drug side effect