Cost Effectiveness of Treating Hypertension in an Urban Area of Kerala State, India
Abstract
Introduction: One of the factors that may lead to poor control of blood pressure is high cost of treatment. An idea regarding the average cost of controlling hypertension in the community would help to assess the cost effectiveness of hypertension control programmes. This study aimed to estimate the Average Monthly Expenditure for treating Hypertension in an urban setting and compare the Cost-Effectiveness of Combination Drug Therapy over Mono Therapy.
Methods: This was part of a Cross Sectional Study done among 500 known hypertensive patients of age 30 years and above. Cluster Sampling Technique was used. Methods of Data Collection included Personal Interview and Measurement of Physical Parameters. JNC VII criteria was used for the classification of hypertension.
Results: The overall expenditure for the treatment of Hypertension in the study group ranged from Rs. 0 – 1,300 per month with a Mean of 247.18 (SD: 199.7). Blood Pressure control was found to be significantly associated with Total monthly treatment expenditure. Combination therapy was found to be as cost effective as mono therapy for hypertension control.
Conclusions: Doctors should make it a point to strictly adhere to the treatment guidelines. Choice of drugs and dosages should be rational, based on the patients age, blood pressure levels and co morbid conditions among other factors. Combination therapy should be advised whenever necessary.
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