Drug-Related Problems in Patients with Both Diabetes and Hypertension

A retrospective study with 200 patients looked at type 2 diabetes with hypertension to find the number of drug-related problems that occur in this population…. 

Patients with both Type 2 diabetes and hypertension are at an increased risk for drug-related problems. The increased risk is due to the fact that the patients have multiple co-morbidities and take multiple medications.

A cross-sectional retrospective study was completed looking at 200 patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension. In the 200 patients in the study there were 387 drug-related problems identified.

Type 2 diabetes patients with hypertension have a blood pressure goal of 130/80 mmHg. To obtain this blood pressure goal in patients requires one or more hypertension medications. Many patients take multiple medications and this can lead to drug-related problems. Drug-related problems can lead to suboptimal therapy, increased morbidity and mortality, prolonged hospitalization, and increased health care costs. These problems in most cases are preventable.

In the study the most common drugs that were used by patients were amlodipine, insulin, aspirin and simvastatin. In the 200 patients in the study they found 387 drug-related problems, 90.5% of the patients had at least one drug-related problem. The most common drug-related problems in this study were insufficient awareness of health and diseases, drug choice problems, dosing problems and drug interactions. This study shows that patients who have both diabetes and hypertension need more attention from their doctors and pharmacists to help reduce the amount of drug-related problems the patients experience.

BMC Endocr Disord. 2013;13(2) "Drug Related Problems in Type 2 Diabetes Patients With Hypertension."