DOI: 10.21276/sajp.2018.7.4.2

Pages: 184-188

Recommended guidelines and innovations in drug formulations change over time. Thus the changes in prescription pattern of drugs used for treating hypertension. In addition, the classes of antihypertensive drugs used vary among countries. The objective of this study was to analyze the Prescription pattern of antihypertensive medications in a tertiary healthcare hospital in Kano, Nigeria. Retrospective analysis of prescription of hypertensive outpatients in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital was conducted for a period of one year. Prescriptions for 285 hypertensive outpatients were analyzed on the basis of age, percentage of male and female patients, anti-hypertensive drug category, most frequently prescribed hypertensive drug and percentage of one/two drug combination. Angiotensin Converting Enzymes Inhibitors (ACEI)27.7% (173) were the most commonly prescribed antihypertensive followed by calcium channel blockers 24.4% (152), Diuretics 23.9% (149), , Angiotensin receptor blockers 12.0% (75), Beta-blockers 6.4% (39), Central acting 5.6% (35) and Vasodilator 0.2% (1) ranked last in this study. ACE-Inhibitors are the most commonly prescribed monotherapy antihypertensive agents 38.25% (153) and their prescription pattern was in consistent with JNC8 guidelines.