Methyldopa prescriptions for hypertensive disease during pregnancy in The Hospital Mariana Grajales

Abstract

Introduction: the use of drugs during pregnancy is complicated but sometimes necessary. One of the conditions that sometimes requires the use of medication is Hypertensive Disease in Pregnancy, whose incidence has increased in recent years. It is the most important cause of maternal death, and therefore constitutes a serious public health problem.

Objective: to characterize pregnant women who suffered from Hypertensive Disease in Pregnancy treated with methyldopa

Methods: a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out that corresponds to a study of drug use at the “Mariana Grajales” Maternal Hospital in Santiago de Cuba during the period from January to December 2021.

Results: there is a predominance of those who did not have methyldopa prescriptions (55,52 %) and the age group from 30 to 39 years with 31 patients (46,26 %). Multiparous pregnant women predominated (59,7 %) who had a lower number of methyldopa prescriptions (23,88 %). The escalation of methyldopa doses when related to the prescriptions of this drug showed a predominance of patients who were prescribed the drug in the range considered as normal dose (50 %) but the number of patients who were prescribed the drug at high doses (40 %) was striking.

Conclusions: methyldopa was prescribed to the minority of patients who had conditions associated with the most severe forms of the disease such as advanced age, nulliparity and a history of having suffered from this disease. The use of the drug at high doses and potential