Cardiology Letters 2023, 32(1):14-21

The use of fixed dose combinations of antihypertensive drugs in Slovakia in 2019 - 2021

Selvek M¹, Mužik R¹, Saal B¹, Tkáč I²

¹ DÔVERY zdravotná poisťovňa, a. s., Bratislava

² IV. interná klinika UPJŠ LF a UN LP, Košice, Slovenská republika

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of fixed dose combinations (FDC) in the outpatient clinics of Slovak general practitioners (GPs), cardiologists and internists and to explore the determinants of FDC prescriptions.

Methods: At the level of contact (prescription by one doctor to one patient on one day), we evaluated whether therapeutic groups could be, and were, prescribed in the form of FDC. The total number of evaluated contacts was 5,463,492.

Results: In 2021, 66.6% of contacts, in which FDC could have been prescribed, ended with its prescription. This is an increase of 2.7% compared to 2019 (p<0.001). FDC are most often used by internists (69.9%), followed by GPs (66.4%) and cardiologists (63.0%). Increasing age of the patient negatively affected the odds of a fixed combination prescription, as did a higher number of medications regularly used by the patient. Bronchial asthma and diabetes mellitus were the only comorbidities associated with more frequent FDC prescription (by 12% and 21%, respectively). Other comorbidities reduced the chance of FDC prescription: heart failure by 26%, coronary heart disease by 26%, atrial fibrillation by 33%, and chronic kidney disease by 28%.

Conclusion: Despite the positive trend, there is room for improvement in the prescription of FDC in Slovakia, especially its prescription for elderly and polymorbid patients, in whom it can be difficult to overcome resistance to the treatment change.

Keywords: arterial hypertension; antihypertensive drugs; fixed dose combinations

Published: January 1, 2023  Show citation