LAUSR

PURPOSE Hypertension (HTN) is one of the most common risk factors for non-communicable chronic diseases. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the prescribing patterns of antihypertensive medications in Kermanshah Province, west of Iran. METHODS The Ravansar Non-Communicable Diseases (RaNCD) cohort study is the first Kurdish community-based study; subjects' age ranged from 35-65 years. In order to examine the use of medications to control blood pressure, participants were asked to bring all prescribed medications to the study center. Treatments were compared with 2013 European Society of Hypertension (ESH) / European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines for the management of arterial HTN RESULTS: From a total of 10,040 participants in RaNCD cohort, 1,575 (15.7%) individuals were hypertensive, of whom, 1271 ((80.7%) people were aware of their condition. From 1,153 (73.20%) people under treatment, 840 (72.8%) had their HTN properly controlled. The most common medications used to treat HTN were losartan (27.5%), metoprolol (14.3%), and captopril (11.9%). Regardless of type of treatment, 49.3% of all patients have received the medication for l 6≥years. The most commonly used drugs were β-Blockers and Angiotension receptor blockers as 620 (31.0%) and 612 (30.6%), respectively. Multivariable analysis showed that female gender, those receive ≥3 antihypertensive agents, and using preferred combinations were associated with a better blood pressure control. In addition, the chance of hypertension control was less likely with duration of treatment and in obese patients with BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2 . CONCLUSIONS Even though adherence to the international guidelines was acceptable, improvements can be made for better control of HTN. Therefore, it is imperative to educate healthcare professionals on improving their selection of antihypertensive medications and combination therapy for hypertensive patients. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.