Niaz A Shaikh.
Blood Pressure Control, follow-up and Drug Compliance among Hypertensive Patients at Civil Hospital, Karachi.
Med Channel Jan ;5(1):5-10.

Hypertension is associated with significant morbidity as well as mortality. Adequate control of high blood pressure is very important to reduce its long term consequences. To assess the overall control and the treatment pattern of the hypertensive patients visiting the Civil Hospital Karachi outdoor department, a random survey of eightynine hypertensive patients revealed that in only 13.5% patient`s blood pressure was ideally controlled, 13.5% patients were in stage1 hypertension, 30.3% were in stage-2 hypertension, 25.8% were in stage3 hypertension and 16.8% patients were in stage-4 hypertension. 43.8% patients had regular follow up for their blood pressure, and 54% patients claimed to have good drug compliance. It is important to know that 22.5% patients were being prescribed subtherapeutic doses of antihypertensive drugs. Irregular follow-up, poor drug compliance, non provision of antihypertensive drugs, faulty prescriptions by the treating doctors and the lack of health education were the main reasons for the overall poor control of bloodpressure. The need for a well organised hospital based hypertension clinic is highlighted.

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