چکیده (انگلیسی):

Background: The number of antihypertensive drug classes cannot accurately
reflect the total consumption of antihypertensive drugs used to control blood pressure. The
defined daily dose has been adopted to permit consumption analysis of many prescribed drugs.
The aim of the present study was to assess postoperative changes in antihypertensive drug consumption
in patients with primary aldosteronism using the defined daily dose as the unit of
measurement.
Methods: This retrospective study included 110 Japanese patients who underwent unilateral
laparoscopic adrenalectomy between 1995 and 2012. Antihypertensive drug doses were calculated
according to the standard of the defined daily dose recommended by the World Health
Organization to compare drug use. After assessing postoperative changes in antihypertensive
drug consumption, univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify clinical
predictors for a 75% or greater decrease in the defined daily dose.
Results: Consumption of antihypertensive drugs decreased postoperatively in 95.4% of patients.
The median decrease in the defined daily dose was 76.8%. A postoperative decrease of 75% or greater in the defined daily dose was confirmed in 52.7% of patients. Multivariate
analysis identified no medical history of cardiovascular disease, low body mass index, and short
duration of hypertension as independent predictors of a postoperative decrease of 75% or
greater in the defined daily dose.
Conclusion: The defined daily dose is a useful tool for assessing total changes in the consumption
of antihypertensive drugs in patients with primary aldosteronism. Using the defined daily
dose, clinicians could explain in detail to patients with primary aldosteronism the predicted
postoperative change in antihypertensive drug consumption.