Evaluation of Medication Use in Malaysian Predialysis Patients

• Main Authors: Muhammad Salman, Muhammad Salman (Author), Khan, Amer Hayat (Author), Adnan, Azreen Syazril (Author), Syed Sulaiman, Syed Azhar (Author), Shehzadi, Naureen (Author), Asif, Nauman (Author), Hussain, Khalid (Author), Saleem, Fahad (Author), Raza, Muhammed Hussnain (Author), Farooq, Muhammad Shahid (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Medknow Publications, 2017.
• Subjects: R Medicine (General); RS Pharmacy and materia medica
• Online Access: Get fulltext

 Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients suffer from multiple comorbidities and complications as a cause or consequence of kidney disease. Information regarding medicationprescribing patterns in predialysis patients is sparse. We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the medication prescription patterns among predialysis patients. Medical records (both paper based and computerized) of patients at CKD Resource Centre, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, were reviewed. A total of 615 eligible cases were included in the study. The mean number of medications prescribed per patient was 8.22 ± 2.81, and medication use was correlated to the renal function (stage 3a < stage 3b < stage 4 < stage 5; P <0.001). The top three prescribed medication groups were found to be lipid-lowering agents, calcium channel blockers, and antiplatelet agents. Some medication classes such as nonaluminum/noncalcium phosphate binders, erythropoietin-stimulating agents, and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockers, particularly in advanced stage, were found to be underutilized. In conclusion, predialysis patients are prescribed a large number of medications. Our findings highlight the need for assessing the impact of current medication-prescribing patterns on morbidity and mortality rates in Malaysian predialysis population.