Adverse Drug Reactions to Antihypertensive Therapy: A Prospective Evaluation of Causality and Severity Using the World Health Organization-Uppsala Monitoring Centre (WHO-UMC) and Hartwig-Siegel Scales

Abstract

Background: Hypertension is one of the most prevalent chronic non-communicable diseases worldwide and remains a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, particularly in low-and middle-income countries such as India. Although antihypertensive pharmacotherapy is effective in reducing cardiovascular risk, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) may compromise treatment adherence and long-term blood pressure control. Systematic identification and evaluation of ADRs using validated causality and severity assessment tools are essential to strengthen pharmacovigilance and optimize therapeutic outcomes. This study is a continuation of our previously published work evaluating prescribing trends of antihypertensive medications in the same tertiary care setting and study population. The present study focuses on the incidence, pattern, causality, and severity of ADRs associated with antihypertensive therapy.