Table 2.
Number and percentage of initiators according to Australian recommendations
| Australian recommendations | n (Total) | n (%) following recommendation | n (%) not following recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| For patients with uncomplicated hypertension, begin antihypertensive monotherapy with an ACEI inhibitor/ARB, a calcium channel blocker, or a thiazide diuretic (≥65 years only). Beta‐blockers are not recommended in uncomplicated hypertension. | 55 937 | 41 226 (73.7) | 14 711 (26.3) |
| Begin antihypertensive therapy with the lowest recommended dose | 55 937 | 38 813 (69.4) | 17 124 (30.6) |
| For patients with comorbid and associated conditions: The following antihypertensive agents are considered potentially beneficial: | |||
| Angina and beta‐blockers (except oxprenolol, pindolol), calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors | 1943 | 1689 (86.9) | 254 (13.1) |
| Gout and losartan | 1928 | 2 (0.1) | 1926 (99.9) |
| Heart failure and ACE inhibitors, ARBs, thiazide diuretics, beta‐blockers | 3537 | 3152 (89.1) | 385 (10.9) |
| Diabetes and ACE inhibitors, ARBs | 5514 | 4539 (82.3) | 975 (17.7) |
| The following antihypertensive agents are considered potentially harmful: | |||
| Asthma/COPD and beta‐blockers | 11 011 | 9437 (85.7) | 1574 (14.3) |
| Depression and beta‐blockers | 13 091 | 10 691 (81.7) | 2400 (18.3) |
| Gout and thiazide diuretics | 1928 | 1783 (92.5) | 145 (7.5) |
| Heart failure and calcium channel blockers | 3537 | 3086 (87.2) | 451 (12.8) |
| Diabetes and beta‐blockers, thiazide diuretics | 5514 | 4621 (83.8) | 893 (16.2) |
| For patients who were dispensed a fixed‐dose antihypertensive combination: | |||
| Patients should be established on the free combination regimen before switching to a FDC product | 6399 | 108 (1.7) | 6291 (98.3) |