Antihypertensive Drugs and Male Sexual Dysfunction: A Review of Adult Hypertension Guideline Recommendations.

Background: Published clinical practice guidelines have addressed antihypertensive therapy and sexual dysfunction (SD) in many different ways.

Objective: In this systematic review, we evaluated guidelines that address antihypertensive drug-associated SD, guideline recommendations, and recent guideline trends.

Methods: Thirty sets of guidelines for hypertension management in adults that had been published in the English language since 2000 were reviewed.

Temporal changes in antihypertensive prescribing trend in Bahrain over a decade: emerging issues in iatrogenic sexual dysfunction.

Objective: To elucidate temporality of antihypertensive drug prescribing trends over a decade in terms of emerging views on iatrogenic sexual dysfunctions (SD).

Methods: The antihypertensive prescribing trend in 2007 was compared with baseline data collected in 1998 using prescription audit.

Results: Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors were deemed first and second ranked antihypertensives for patients with diabetic hypertension and hypertension in 2007, respectively.

Drug treatment of hypertension in pregnancy: a critical review of adult guideline recommendations.

This review evaluates the guideline recommendations for the management of hypertension in pregnancy as presented by 25 national/international guidelines developed for the management of arterial hypertension in adults. There is a general consensus that oral α-methyldopa and parenteral labetalol are the drugs of choice for nonsevere and severe hypertension in pregnancy, respectively. Long-acting nifedipine is recommended by various guidelines as an alternative for first-line and second-line therapy in nonsevere and severe hypertension.

Medication prescribing errors pertaining to cardiovascular/antidiabetic medications: a prescription audit in primary care.

This study was carried out to identify the medication prescribing errors (MPEs) pertaining to cardiovascular/antidiabetic medications in prescriptions issued to hypertensive and diabetic hypertensive patients. A retrospective, nationwide audit of prescriptions (n = 2773) issued by primary care physicians (n = 194) of 20 health centres in Bahrain was carried out. Approximately one-quarter of prescriptions ordered by two-thirds of primary care physicians had errors.

Antimicrobial prescribing trends in primary care: implications for health policy in Bahrain.

Purpose: To evaluate antimicrobial prescribing pattern by primary care physicians.

Methods: A nation-wide, retrospective, multi-centric prescription-audit was carried out in primary care health centres in Bahrain.

Results: Systemic antimicrobials ranked the fourth most common class of drugs prescribed.

Management of acute diarrhoea in primary care in Bahrain: self-reported practices of doctors.

This nationwide study was conducted to assess the extent of adherence of primary-care physicians to the World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended guidelines on the use of oral rehydration therapy (ORT), antimicrobials, and prescribing of other drugs used in treating symptoms of acute diarrhoea in Bahrain. A questionnaire-based, cross-sectional survey was carried out in primary-care health centres. During a six-week survey period (15 August-30 September 2003), 328 (25.

Topical corticosteroids in infants: prescribing pattern and prescribing errors in Bahrain.

Objective: A nationwide, primary care-based prescription audit in infants to determine the prescribing pattern and prescribing errors of topical corticosteroid preparations in Bahrain.

Method: Prescriptions dispensed for infants were collected for two successive weeks from 20 primary-care health centres.

Results: Among 2282 out of 102,084 prescriptions (2.

Diurnal variation of prescribing pattern of primary care doctors in Bahrain.

Rationale, Aims And Objectives: To evaluate the variation in prescribing by primary care doctors during the morning and the evening clinics and to determine whether these prescribing patterns are influenced by doctors' training background.

Methods: A retrospective prescription-based study was carried out in 17 out of 20 primary care health centres in Bahrain distributed across the Kingdom.

Results: A total of 4472 prescriptions containing 10 588 drug-items covering the prescribing practice of approximately 90% primary care doctors were analysed.

Evaluation of drug utilization and prescribing errors in infants: a primary care prescription-based study.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the drug utilization trends and to describe the prevalence and type of medication-related prescribing errors in infants treated at primary care health centers in Bahrain. Prescriptions issued for infants were collected over a 2-week period in May 2004 from 20 health centers. Prescribing errors were classified as omission (minor and major), commission (incorrect information) and integration errors.

Rational use of antimicrobials in infants in primary care of Bahrain.

This nationwide prescription-based study was undertaken to evaluate antimicrobial prescribing for infants, and to identify prescribing errors in infants in 20 primary care health centres of Bahrain. Data was collected on a daily basis by pharmacists in May 2004. Antimicrobials ranked the 5th most common drugs prescribed in infants; beta-lactams, notably amoxycillin and cephalexin, comprised 81.

Evaluation of drug therapy and risk factors in diabetic hypertensives: a study of the quality of care provided in diabetic clinics in Bahrain.

Objective: To evaluate control of blood pressure (BP) and diabetes and the associated risk factors in diabetic hypertensives treated by diabetic clinic primary care physicians.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of the medical records of diabetic hypertensives from six primary care diabetic clinics in Bahrain.

Results: The recommended BP target <130/<85 mmHg and of glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1C) <7% were achieved in 7.

Pharmacotherapy and blood pressure control in elderly hypertensives in a primary care setting in Bahrain.

Background And Aims: Antihypertensive treatment in the elderly has important beneficial effects in terms of reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to determine, in elderly hypertensives, the adherence of primary care physicians to World Health Organization/International Society of Hypertension (WHO/ISH) guidelines for the drug management of hypertension and extent of blood pressure (BP) control.

Methods: A multicentric therapeutic audit of medical records of elderly hypertensives was performed in nine primary care health centers in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Physician gender and antihypertensive prescription pattern in primary care.

Objectives: To determine: (i) the gender-based differences of physicians in prescribing antihypertensive drugs in the management of hypertension; (ii) the influence of patient comorbidity such as diabetes mellitus on the gender-based pattern of antihypertensive prescription, and (iii) gender-based prescription patterns among family physicians (FPs) and general practitioners (GPs).

Methods: A survey study was carried out at 15 out of 20 health centres in Bahrain during May and June 2000. A total of 3971 prescriptions, issued to 2705 patients with uncomplicated hypertension and 1266 patients with diabetic hypertension by 77 FPs (female = 54, male = 23) and 41 GPs (female = 11, male = 30), were analysed.

Evaluating the treatment of hypertension in diabetes mellitus: a need for better control?

Objectives: To determine how well and to what extent blood pressure (BP) is controlled in diabetic hypertensive patients treated by primary care doctors, and to evaluate drug therapy in the backdrop of risk factors and laboratory findings.

Methods: A therapeutic audit of the medical records of diabetic hypertensives from nine primary care health centres in Bahrain.

Results: In 266 diabetic hypertensives (82 males and 184 females), the recommended target BP < 130/< 85 mmHg (WHO/ISH guidelines, 1999) was achieved in 20 (9.

Treatment of hypertension in Bahrain.

Objective: To evaluate the adequacy of blood pressure (BP) control and therapeutic appropriateness of antihypertensive drug(s) prescribed, taking into consideration laboratory parameters and the presence of comorbidities, in hypertensive patients.

Methods: Therapeutic audit of medical records of hypertensive patients from 9 primary care health centers in Bahrain using World Health Organization/International Society of Hypertension guidelines criteria.

Results: The recommended target BP <140/<90 mmHg was achieved in 37 (16.

Prescribing pattern of antihypertensive drugs by family physicians and general practitioners in the primary care setting in Bahrain.

The aim was to determine whether there are differences among family physicians (FPs) and general practitioners (GPs) in terms of their preference for different classes of antihypertensives, either alone or in combinations, in uncomplicated cases of hypertension and to determine the extent of adherence to WHO/ISH guidelines. We have analysed prescribing of antihypertensives by qualified family physicians (FPs) (n=77) and compared this with that of general practitioners (GPs) (n =41) by auditing 1791 prescriptions of FPs and 914 prescriptions of GPs, issued to patients with uncomplicated hypertension, at 15 out of 20 health centres in Bahrain. The choice of antihypertensive(s) by FPs and GPs was comparable and conformed with the WHO/ISH guidelines as regards preference for: (i) beta-blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and calcium channel blockers (CCBs) as monotherapy; (ii) two-drug combinations (diuretic-beta-blocker; beta-blocker-CCB); (iii) three-drug combinations (diuretic-beta-blocker-CCB; diuretic-beta-blocker-ACE inhibitor; beta-blocker- ACE inhibitor-CCBs), and (iv) choice of drug used for the elderly either alone (CCBs) or as combinations (diuretic-beta-blocker; beta-blocker-CCB and diuretic-beta-blocker-ACE inhibitor; diuretic-beta-blocker-CCB).

Family physicians' and general practitioners' approaches to drug management of diabetic hypertension in primary care.

Rationale, Aims And Objectives: To compare the pharmacotherapeutic approaches to diabetic hypertension of family physicians (FPs) and general practitioners (GPs).

Methods: A retrospective prescription-based study was conducted in 15 out of a total of 20 health centres, involving 115 primary care physicians--77 FPs and 38 GPs, representing 74% of the primary care physicians of Bahrain. Prescriptions were collected during May and June 2000 to comprise a study population of 1266 diabetic-hypertensive patients.