Prescribing Patterns

Women receiving two-drug therapy were prescribed inappropriate antihypertensive combinations more often than men. The medication mix differed between the referral group and the DXA group. The study assessed over-treatment as prescribing calcium/vitamin D or osteoporosis medication without a clear treatment indication. Beta-blockers were common in the cohort despite newer evidence moving them away from first-line use in uncomplicated hypertension. Older French guidelines may partly explain common beta-blocker use because they placed beta-blockers on equal footing with other antihypertensive classes during the data collection period. Migraine prophylaxis may have contributed to beta-blocker use in women for non-cardiovascular indications.