Multiple Antihypertensive Therapy in Nephrology Practice

Abstract

Introduction: Hypertension (HT) can be the cause or consequence of chronic kidney disease. Its management often requires a multiple therapy due to its severity. Objective: To describe the profile of patients receiving a multiple anti-hypertensive therapy in nephrology practice. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective, descriptive study conducted in the department of Nephrology, Yopougon Teaching Hospital, from January 1 to October 31, 2016. We included all patients admitted to this department who had received at least three anti-hypertensive drugs. Results: Out of a total of 625 hypertensive patients admitted over the study period, we included 120 patients on multiple therapy, i.e. a 19% prevalence. HT was essential in 60% of cases, secondary to chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) in 25%, to diabetes in 13.3% and to polycystic kidney disease (PKD) in 1.7%. The therapy consisted of the combination of 3 antihy-pertensive drugs in 36.7% of cases, 4 drugs in 49.2% and 5 drugs in 4.2%. The antihypertensive classes used were Calcium channel blockers (CCB) in 99.2% of cases, Diuretics (D) in 87.5%, Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACEI) in 70%, Centrally acting medication (C) in 66.7%, Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARB) in 25.8% and Beta-blockers (β-) in 6.7%. The main combinations were CCB + D + ACEI + C in 34.2% of cases, CCB + D + ACEI in 23.3%, and CCB + D + ARB + C in 12.5%. The combinations of antihypertensive drugs varied according to the cause of HT with a non-significant difference. Patient outcome was characterized by normal blood pressure in 64.2% of cases and normal renal function in 13.3%. The mortality rate was 17.5%. In multivariate analysis, stage 5 renal disease (p = 0.001), hypertensive retinopathy (p = 0.04) and hemoglobin level < 8 g/dl (p = 0.039) were associated with mortality. Conclusion: Multiple antihypertensive therapy, which is common in nephrology, is related to the severity of HT and not to its cause. We still use centrally acting drugs in combination with the other recommended classes, so as to achieve the target blood pressure.