National Utilization of Antihypertensive Medications From 2000 to 2006 in the Veterans Health Administration: Focus on Thiazide Diuretics

• Published in: The journal of clinical hypertension (Greenwich, Conn.) Vol. 10; no. 10; pp. 770 - 778
• Main Authors: Furmaga, Elaine M., Cunningham, Francesca E., Cushman, William C., Dong, Diane, Jiang, Rong, Basile, Jan, Katz, Lois A., Rutan, Gale H., Berlowitz, Dan R., Papademetriou, Vasilios, Glassman, Peter A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.10.2008
• Subjects: Antihypertensive Agents - classification; Antihypertensive Agents - therapeutic use; Databases, Factual; Drug Prescriptions - statistics & numerical data; Drug Utilization - trends; Humans; Hypertension - drug therapy; Original Papers; Practice Patterns, Physicians' - statistics & numerical data; Sodium Chloride Symporter Inhibitors - therapeutic use; United States; United States Department of Veterans Affairs; United States
• ISSN: 1524-6175; 1751-7176
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-7176.2008.00019.x

The authors sought to determine the prescribing practices of clinicians treating veterans with hypertension. A descriptive analysis was performed using a national pharmacy database of patients with a diagnosis of hypertension receiving antihypertensive medication in the fiscal years 2000 to 2006. Angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors were the most frequently prescribed antihypertensive class, with utilization increasing from 56.0% in fiscal year 2000 to 63.2% of patients in 2006. Utilization of thiazide‐type diuretics increased from 31.9% of patients in fiscal year 2000 to 42.0% in 2006. When patient comorbidities were taken into consideration, 48.1% of patients defined as having uncomplicated hypertension had at least one prescription for a thiazide diuretic in fiscal year 2006. Utilization by monotherapy and combination therapy were also evaluated. The trends in utilization allowed for identification of areas in which a change in prescribing practices may improve blood pressure control and health outcomes in the Veterans Health Administration.