ANTIHYPERTENSIVE THERAPY AMONG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS AS SEEN IN THE MIDDLE BELT OF NIGERIA

Background: In spite of increased awareness on hypertension among Nigerians, control of blood pressure among hypertensive patients is still unacceptably poor. This study was therefore designed to assess the compliance rate to antihypertensive therapy among Nigerians and factors influencing it. Method: Two hundred and twenty four consecutive hypertensive patients were prospectively studied using a pre-tested questionnaire. Results: A total of 100 males (44.6%) and 124 females participated in the study. The age ranged between 35-82 years. Calcium channel blockers were the most frequently prescribed medication (39.3%) followed by diuretics (14.3%). Combination therapy was seen in 35.7% of the patients. B-blockers were the rarest drug as a single agent (1.8%). Using multivariate analysis, access to the hospital was the only independent predictor of Systolic Blood Pressure level. 39.3% of the respondents volunteered history of having stopped their drugs at one time or the other over a one year period for different reasons with high cost and scarcity of drugs being the most prevalent. 85.7% of the patients spent between two hundred and two thousand Naira monthly on drug procurement. Conclusion: Calcium channel blockers are rapidly gaining ground as first line antihypertensive agents in tertiary hospitals in Nigeria. This study has underscored the need to bring health care centres closer to the people in a bid to improve the control of blood pressure