Analysis of the Relationship Between Antihypertension Drug Interactions and Geriatric Patient Blood Pressure Targets at PKU Muhammadiyah Gamping Hospital

Abstract

Background: Hypertension is a chronic disease characterized by an increase in blood pressure reaching ≥140/90 mmHg, which can increase the risk of stroke, aneurysm, heart failure, and kidney damage. Increasing age is the main trigger factor for increasing a person's blood pressure, due to physiological changes and the tendency to develop complications from comorbidities. Geriatric patients with hypertension who receive combination therapy and have comorbidities have the potential to experience drug interactions that result in the therapeutic effect not being achieved.

Objective: This study aims to determine the relationship between antihypertensive drug interactions and blood pressure targets in geriatric patients in the outpatient installation of PKU Muhammadiyah Gamping Hospital.

Research Methods: This research is observational in nature; data collection is retrospective, using outpatient medical record data for the periods January and December 2022 with a purposive sampling technique. The research sample consisted of 68 outpatients who met the inclusion criteria. The presence of drug interactions was analyzed using the drugs.com instrument, and analysis of the relationship between antihypertensive drug interactions and blood pressure targets used the Chi-square test.

Results: The majority of geriatric patients with hypertension were female, 37 (54.4%); jobs as housewives and retirees were 15 (22.1%) each; 63 (92.6%) had comorbidities and complications; and 44 (64.7%) patients achieved blood pressure targets. The patient's treatment pattern was dominated by a combination of anti-hypertensive therapy; as many as 55 (80.9%) and 62 (91.2%) patients experienced drug interactions with 133 (96%) moderate severity levels. Chi-square test results show a p value > 0.05.

Conclusion: There is no relationship between antihypertensive drug interactions and the achievement of blood pressure targets in geriatric patients.

Keywords: Blood Pressure, Drug Interactions, Geriatrics, Hypertension