Assessment of Hypertension Care in a Nigerian Hospital

Ifeanyi E Chiazor¹ and Azuka C Oparah²

¹Pharmacy Department, University of Benin Teaching Hospital,²Department of Clinical Pharmacy & Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Benin, Benin City 300001, Nigeria

*For correspondence: Email: oparaca@yahoo.com  Tel: +234 802 332 8341

Received: 3 February 2011                                           Revised accepted: 3 December 2011

Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, February 2012; 11(1): 137-145

Purpose: To describe and compare the treatment pattern of patients with hypertension using the JNC 7 guideline, and to assess patients� body mass index (BMI) and their knowledge of hypertension in a Nigerian secondary health care facility.                                                                         
Methods: A cross-sectional, prospective, and observational study of 200 consecutive patients was conducted. Data were gathered on the patients� demographics and clinical characteristics, including body mass index. Patients� knowledge of hypertension was assessed using a 9-item instrument. Descriptive statistics was used to compute percentage frequency distributions of the variables. Inferential statistics employed Students� t-test and one-way ANOVA at 95 % confidence interval. 
Results: Females were 131 (65.5 %), 138 (69.0 %) were either overweight or obese, 107 (53.5 %) had blood pressure ≥ 160/100 mmHg (Stage 2); 150 (75 %) did not know that hypertension is chronic and 132 (66 %) were not aware of risk of non-adherence. Poor knowledge of risk factors was associated with gender, marital status, income, and level of education (p < 0.05). Patients, 167 (83.5 %) received a combination of two antihypertensive medications with 88 (44 %) having thiazide diuretic as first line, and lifestyle modification was not an integral component of care.                                                                      
Conclusion: Most patients received thiazide diuretic medication but not lifestyle education. Obesity was a common risk factor among the study group. Patients� knowledge of hypertension was below average and they may need to be educated on hypertension and its effective management using drugs and lifestyle changes.