title: Hypertension treatment and control in a rural cohort in Thiruvallur, Tamil Nadu, India.
abstract: Hypertension is a public health problem with low detection and treatment rates in India. We resurveyed 1284 patients with hypertension already identified in baseline survey of the cohort in Thiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu, India. The objective was to estimate the proportion of patients with drug treatment, hypertension control and lifestyle modification at follow-up (median follow-up 27 months). Overall, only 19.9% of the patients took drugs and 45.3% had blood pressure under control. Among 256 patients on drugs, 179 (69.9%) were on a single drug, 71 (27.7%) on two drugs, and six (2.3%) on three drugs. Commonly prescribed drugs based on the prescription review were beta blockers (50.4%), calcium channel blockers (36.7%), angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor (18.4%), and diuretics (11.7%). Salt reduction was reported by 49.7% of the patients. There is a need for strengthening the health systems for effective management of hypertension and patient education to ensure active involvement in the long-term care.
authors.affiliation: Scientist D, Division of Health Systems Research, National Institute of Epidemiology (Indian Council of Medical Research), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Prabhdeep
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kaur
authors.affiliation: Technical Officer (A), National Institute of Epidemiology (Indian Council of Medical Research), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Sudha Ramachandra
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.affiliation: Technical Assistant (Research), Division of Biostatistics, National Institute of Epidemiology (Indian Council of Medical Research), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Ramachandran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Venkatachalam
authors.affiliation: Technical Officer (A), Division of Computing and Information Science, National Institute of Epidemiology (Indian Council of Medical Research), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Kanagasabai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaliaperumal
mesh_terms: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004232:Diuretics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy; D007194:India; D008019:Life Style
chemical_list: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D004232:Diuretics