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INTRODUCTIONHypertensive disorders are the most common medical complications of pregnancy with an incidence of 2 to 8 %.1,2 It is one of the major causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. There are several major categories of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy ranging from mild to moderate rise in blood pressure without proteinuria usually called pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH), preeclampsia (hypertension with proteinuria), severe preeclampsia and eclampsia. Maternal hypertension, even of the mild to moderate category, can lead to adverse perinatal outcomes like low birth weight, prematurity, stillbirth and intrauterine growth retardation.3 Though hypertension occurs in 2 to 8% of pregnancies, yet information on the safety of antihypertensive medication use during pregnancy is limited. For severe hypertension, anti-hypertensive medication is used to prevent serious maternal and foetal complications; however, there is no consensus on when to treat mild-to-moderate hypertension. According to ACOG (American college of gynaecology) technical bulletin recommends that drugs not to be administered in pregnancy associated with hypertension, if systolic BP is less than 160 and diastolic BP less than 110. 4 Hypertensive pregnant mothers are at increased risks for premature delivery, intrauterine foetal death, growth retardation and abruptio placentae; they also have an increased risk of vascular injury with thrombotic microangioplasty, coagulopathy, cerebral haemorrhage, and multi organ injury especially of kidney and liver. So as to avoid all such complications, it is better to start the treatment with antihypertensive after assessing correct stage and class of hypertension and always prescribe the safe drug to avoid adverse effects over the foetus and ABSTRACT Background: Hypertensive disorders are the most common medical complications of pregnancy with an incidence of 2-8%. Maternal hypertension, even of the mild to moderate category, can lead to adverse perinatal outcomes like low birth weight, prematurity, stillbirth and intrauterine growth retardation. Though hypertension occurs up to 8% of pregnancies, yet information on the safety of antihypertensive medication use during pregnancy is limited. The objective of this study was to analyse the prescription pattern of antihypertensive drugs in pregnant woman and also to assess the neonatal outcome in pregnant woman on antihypertensive drugs. Methods:The retrospective study includes analysis of all the prescriptions from case records of hypertensive pregnant women till the delivery for one year. Results: Total number of 122 hypertensive pregnant patients was included in the study. Mean age of the patients was 25.8 years. 51.6% were primigravida. Most of them were diagnosed after 28±2 weeks of pregnancy. 54% were on monotherapy. Most commonly used drug was alpha methyl dopa followed by nifedipine. Out of 86.9% (n=106) live birth delivered; 29.2% were of low birth weight. Conclusions: All the prescriptions were prescribed rationally. Most ...

Objective: The process of aging involves an individual’s structural and functional depravity of their organ systems often results in compromised pharmacological principles of the prescribed drugs. Multimorbidity and polypharmacy along with change in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic responses of drugs predispose the elderly to adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The present study was aimed to identify and report the characteristics and incidence of ADRs among geriatrics in an outpatient clinic. Methods: This was a 6-month prospective hospital-based observational study among patients of either sex aged 60 years and above visiting an outpatient clinic at the study site. The suspected ADRs were categorized according to the Will’s and Brown classification system. Causality of these ADRs was verified by applying the WHO-UMC criteria and the Naranjo’s scale. Severity and preventability of the ADRs were classified using the modified Hartwig and Siegel scale and modified Schumock and Thornton scale, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the risk factors for developing ADRs. Results: Among the 365 patients monitored, 57 (15%) patients experienced 60 ADRs. Therapeutic classes of drugs frequently associated with ADRs were the drugs used in hypertension (27 [45%]). Patients presenting with amlodipine (9 [15%]) induced pedal edema were observed with the highest frequency of ADRs. Polypharmacy (OR: 1.619, 95% confidence interval: 0.957−2.741, p=0.021) was observed as the influential risk factor for ADRs. Conclusion: Pharmacist’s services and involvement in geriatric patient’s centered care can be associated with their improved health, quality of life and economic outcomes, a reduction in medicine-related adverse events, and limiting the morbidity and mortality in this age band.