# Adverse drug reaction (ADR) monitoring of antihypertensive drugs in a tertiary care setting: A prospective observational study

## TL;DR

This study tracks side effects of blood pressure medications in 500 patients, finding that certain drugs commonly cause issues like swelling and cough.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into ADR patterns of antihypertensive drugs in a real-world clinical setting.

## Key findings

- 95 adverse drug reactions were observed in 17.6% of 500 patients on antihypertensive drugs.
- Calcium channel blockers and ACE inhibitors were most commonly associated with adverse reactions.
- Polypharmacy was significantly linked to higher ADR occurrence (p = 0.004).

## Abstract

Hypertension requires long-term therapy. However, antihypertensive drugs may cause adverse drug reactions (ADRs) affecting compliance
and quality of life. This 12-month prospective observational study included 500 patients receiving at least one antihypertensive medication.
A total of 95 ADRs (17.6%) were identified, most commonly due to calcium channel blockers and ACE inhibitors, with pedal edema, dry cough
and dizziness being the frequent events. ADRs were significantly higher in patients on polypharmacy (p = 0.004) and most were classified as
moderate and probable. Active pharmacovigilance is essential to improve safety and optimize hypertension management.