Pattern of Pharmacotherapy and Assessment of Drug Related Problems in Ischemic Heart Disease Patients

To study the prescribing patterns of drugs used in Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) patients and to identify Drug Related Problems (DRPs) associated with treatment. Methodology: 120 patients from the cardiology inpatient department who were suffering from IHD were included in this prospective, observational and analytical study conducted in Sagar hospitals, Kumaraswamy layout, Bengaluru, India. Results: Out of a total of 120 patients, 76 (61.67%) were males and 46 (38.33%) were females. Subjects of age group 61-70 (25.0%) were found to be more susceptible to IHD. Most of the prescriptions were prescribed with Lipid lowering agents (12.16%), followed by ?-blockers (11.10%), Anti-Platelets (8.72%). A total of 221 DRPs were identified. Drug interactions (41.63%) were the most common drug related problems observed, followed by Untreated indications (25.79%), Medication use without indication (9.05%), Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) (9.05%), Overdose (6.79%), Sub-therapeutic dose (3.17%). The most common drug-drug interaction was Clopidogrel+Aspirin (6.52%), followed by Furosemide+Aspirin (6.52%) and Atorvastatin+Clopidogrel (5.43%). The most offending drug involved in the drug-drug interactions was observed to be Aspirin. Conclusion: Our study suggests that Statins, Anti-Platelet and Anti-Anginal/Ischemic drugs are major cardiovascular drugs used in the treatment of IHD. The various DRPs were observed to be due to polypharmacy practiced in the treatment of IHD which emphasizes the importance of early detection, evaluation and documentation of DRPs for better patient care and quality of life of patients with IHD.