FOLLOW-UP-STUDY OF THE USE OF ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUG-TREATMENT AND OF THE POPULATION TREATED

We carried out a study describing the extent and patterns of use of an tihypertensive drugs and identifying common diseases in a cohort of wo rkers. The population was monitored on a yearly basis by a questionnai re to assess the use of antihypertensive drugs. The extent and causes of absenteeism for medical reasons and diagnoses of cancer were taken from systematic records from the company. Four cross-sectional analyse s covering a period of 5 years are presented. For the 17,244 respondan ts in 1990-12,731 men aged 41 to 51 years and 4,513 women aged 36 to 5 1 years-the prevalence of antihypertensive drug use was 6.5%, and 5 ye ars later, antihypertensive drug use had doubled. This increase involv ed calcium channel inhibitors in particular. In all analyses, excess a bsenteeism for all health-related disorders was observed among those t reated with antihypertensive drugs compared with the remainder of the population, who were almost all nonhypertensive: 44% v 34% (P <.000) i n 1990, 42% v 34% (P <.000) in 1991, 41% v 34% (P <.000) in 1993, and 37% v 29% (P <.000) in 1994. Psychiatric disorders and fatigue were am ong the most frequent causes of absenteeism and were more frequent in individuals treated with antihypertensive drugs. Am J Hypertens 1998; 11:929-934 (C) 1998 American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd.