Treatment interruption in hypertensive patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: An interrupted time series analysis using prescription data in Okayama, Japan.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted healthcare behaviors, leading to fewer pediatric visits in Japan and potentially fewer visits by adult patients. However, existing Japanese studies on treatment interruptions have generally relied on questionnaire-based methods. In this study, we assessed the impact of the pandemic on antihypertensive treatment interruption using real-world prescription data.

Methods

We conducted an interrupted time series analysis using the National Health Insurance Database in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Participants included individuals aged 40-69 years with at least one antihypertensive prescription between 2018 and 2020. Treatment interruption was defined as a 3-month or longer gap in prescriptions after medication depletion. We used segmente

SUBMITTER: Nakamura N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10927915 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature