Background: Hypertation is the most common medical problem encountered in pregnancy and remains an important cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality (1). Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (pre eclampsia/eclampsia and severe pre eclampsia respectively) affect about 10% of all pregnant women around the world (2).
Objective: of this was to determine the prescribing pattern of antihypertensive drugs, to determine the antihypertensive drugs prescribed and their frequency in pre eclampsia/eclampsia and severe pre eclampsia at Bugando Medical Centre.
Methods: A retrospective cross sectional hospital based study was conducted at Bugando Medical Centre on May 2018, sample size was obtained using Kish Leslie formula (1965). The data regarding demographic details, gestational age, laboratory diagnosis, blood pressure and antihypertensive drugs prescribed were collected.
Results: Total of 384 pregnant women were involved in the study and all were in patient about 44 (11.5%) pregnant women were diagnosed with pre eclampsia, 139 (36.2%) were diagnosed with eclampsia and 201 (52.3%) were diagnosed with severe pre eclampsia. The most commonly prescribed antihypertensive were oral Methyldopa, MgSO4 injection, Nifedipine and Hydralazine, Amlodipine and Furosemide were the other drugs prescribed Monotherapy was prescribed in (33.3%), triple therapy in (37.2%), quadruple therapy (15.1%) and more than quadruple therapy (3.1%). Percentage of prescription of antihypertensive drugs were Methyldopa (9.6%), Methyldopa po and Hydralazine po (18.8%), Methyldopa po and Nifedipine (6%), Methyldopa and MgSO4 inj (4.4%), Methlydopa, Hydralazine po and MgSO4 inj (16.7%), Methlydopa, Hydralazine po, Hydralazine inj and MgSO4 inj (13.8%) etc.
Conclusion: The prescribing pattern of dual therapy and triple therapy was high as compared to monotherapy and quadruple therapy, also the occurance of severe pre eclampsia cases was high as compared to pre eclampsia/eclampsia.
Wurzburg Road 35, BMC Premises, Post Code: 33102: P. O. Box 1464, Mwanza – Tanzania: Phone: +255 28 298 3384: Fax: +255 28 298 3386: Email: vc@bugando.ac.tz: www.bugando.ac.tz