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Published on: May 17, 2024
Real-World Prescribing Patterns for Hypertensive Children in China from 2018 to 2021: A Cross-Sectional Multicenter
Qin Qian1, Yu-Zhen Wang1, Lian-Di Kan1
1Department of Pharmacy, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310016, People's Republic of China.
Insights
Pediatric hypertension is a growing concern, but antihypertensive drug use in children is not well understood. This study reveals that current medication practices in China often deviate from established guidelines, raising questions about rational drug use.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pediatrics
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Pediatric hypertension serves as an early indicator of adult cardiovascular diseases.
- Understanding antihypertensive drug utilization patterns in children is crucial but often overlooked.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of pediatric hypertension in China.
- To analyze real-world antihypertensive drug use patterns in pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of demographic, diagnosis, and medication prescription data.
- Evaluation of antihypertensive drug types, comorbidities, and adherence to Chinese hypertension guidelines.
Main Results:
- 1301 prescriptions involving 1880 antihypertensive orders were analyzed.
- Calcium channel blockers (CCB), angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB), and beta-blockers (BB) were most common; kidney diseases were frequent comorbidities.
- Only 14.20% of prescribed drugs and 84.93% of combinations aligned with guidelines, indicating suboptimal adherence.
Conclusions:
- This study provides novel insights into pediatric hypertension and drug use in China.
- Findings highlight significant deviations from hypertension management guidelines in pediatric care.
- Concerns regarding the rational use of antihypertensives in children warrant further investigation and improved clinical practice.
Background:
Pediatric hypertension become an early marker of cardiovascular diseases, but their antihypertensive drug use patterns are rarely known.
Purpose:
To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of pediatric hypertension and the use of antihypertensive drugs in the real world in China.
Methods:
In this study, the demographic, diagnosis, and medication prescription data including the antihypertensive drug types and comorbidities, were analyzed. The antihypertensive drugs use were evaluated according to the Chinese guidelines for hypertension.
Results:
1301 prescriptions (number of visits) containing 1880 antihypertensive medical orders were collected. The average number of antihypertensive drugs per prescription was 1.45 (±0.75). The patients aged 16 to 18 (70.18%) accounted for the highest proportion. Kidney diseases (33.28%) were the most common comorbidities. Calcium channel blocker (CCB), angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB), and β receptor blocker (BB) were the most used antihypertensive drugs. The most frequent monotherapy was CCB, while that of two and three drugs combination were ARB+CCB and ARB+BB+CCB, respectively. Metoprolol (11.44%), nifedipine (10.64%), amlodipine (10.59%), valsartan (6.12%) were the most commonly used antihypertensive drugs. The utilization rate of fixed compound preparations was 7.34%. However, the percentage of recommended antihypertensive drugs was just 14.20%, while the recommended drug combination was 84.93% according to the guidelines.
Conclusion:
For the first time ever we reported the antihypertensive prescription analysis in children in a large area of China. Our data provided new insights into the epidemiological characteristics and drug use in hypertensive children. We found that the guidelines for medication management in hypertensive children were not routinely followed. The wide use of antihypertensive drugs in children and those with weak clinical evidence raised concerns regarding its rational use. The findings could lead to more effective management of hypertension in children.
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