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ATLANTA — African Americans are less likely than members of other races to persist in combination antihypertensive therapy, according to a retrospective analysis of medical and pharmacy claims for Medicaid patients in Maryland.
After adjustment for age, gender, and comorbidities, African Americans were 21% more likely to discontinue their therapy than were members of other races. This relationship was significant when the patients were using a fixed-dose combination in a single pill and also when they were using a free combination regimen with two concurrent pills, according to a poster presentation by Fadia T. Shaya, Ph.D., at a meeting sponsored by the International Society on Hypertension in Blacks.
After adjustment for all other covariates, several other factors proved to be significant predictors of nonpersistent behavior. Patients under age 40 years were 26% more likely to discontinue than were older patients, and those with a higher comorbidity index were 4% more likely to do so.
On the other hand, patients on a fixed-dose combination regimen were 18% less likely to discontinue than were patients taking a combination of two pills, wrote Dr. Shaya of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, at the meeting, cosponsored by the American Society of Hypertension.
The analysis involved all Medicaid patients in Maryland who were prescribed the combination of an ACE inhibitor and a calcium channel blocker or an ACE inhibitor and a hydrochlorothiazide diuretic during 2002–2004.
Of the 1,701 total patients, 17.5% were persistent in their use of the medication and 82.5% discontinued. Of the 1,137 African Americans, 15.5% were persistent, compared with 21.2% of the 448 whites and 23.3% of the 116 members of other races.
ATLANTA — African Americans are less likely than members of other races to persist in combination antihypertensive therapy, according to a retrospective analysis of medical and pharmacy claims for Medicaid patients in Maryland.
After adjustment for age, gender, and comorbidities, African Americans were 21% more likely to discontinue their therapy than were members of other races. This relationship was significant when the patients were using a fixed-dose combination in a single pill and also when they were using a free combination regimen with two concurrent pills, according to a poster presentation by Fadia T. Shaya, Ph.D., at a meeting sponsored by the International Society on Hypertension in Blacks.
After adjustment for all other covariates, several other factors proved to be significant predictors of nonpersistent behavior. Patients under age 40 years were 26% more likely to discontinue than were older patients, and those with a higher comorbidity index were 4% more likely to do so.
On the other hand, patients on a fixed-dose combination regimen were 18% less likely to discontinue than were patients taking a combination of two pills, wrote Dr. Shaya of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, at the meeting, cosponsored by the American Society of Hypertension.
The analysis involved all Medicaid patients in Maryland who were prescribed the combination of an ACE inhibitor and a calcium channel blocker or an ACE inhibitor and a hydrochlorothiazide diuretic during 2002–2004.
Of the 1,701 total patients, 17.5% were persistent in their use of the medication and 82.5% discontinued. Of the 1,137 African Americans, 15.5% were persistent, compared with 21.2% of the 448 whites and 23.3% of the 116 members of other races.
ATLANTA — African Americans are less likely than members of other races to persist in combination antihypertensive therapy, according to a retrospective analysis of medical and pharmacy claims for Medicaid patients in Maryland.
After adjustment for age, gender, and comorbidities, African Americans were 21% more likely to discontinue their therapy than were members of other races. This relationship was significant when the patients were using a fixed-dose combination in a single pill and also when they were using a free combination regimen with two concurrent pills, according to a poster presentation by Fadia T. Shaya, Ph.D., at a meeting sponsored by the International Society on Hypertension in Blacks.
After adjustment for all other covariates, several other factors proved to be significant predictors of nonpersistent behavior. Patients under age 40 years were 26% more likely to discontinue than were older patients, and those with a higher comorbidity index were 4% more likely to do so.
On the other hand, patients on a fixed-dose combination regimen were 18% less likely to discontinue than were patients taking a combination of two pills, wrote Dr. Shaya of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, at the meeting, cosponsored by the American Society of Hypertension.
The analysis involved all Medicaid patients in Maryland who were prescribed the combination of an ACE inhibitor and a calcium channel blocker or an ACE inhibitor and a hydrochlorothiazide diuretic during 2002–2004.
Of the 1,701 total patients, 17.5% were persistent in their use of the medication and 82.5% discontinued. Of the 1,137 African Americans, 15.5% were persistent, compared with 21.2% of the 448 whites and 23.3% of the 116 members of other races.