EC Pharmacology And Toxicology

Objectives: This study evaluated drug utilization pattern in diabetic patients with reference to a tertiary hospital in South-Eastern Nigeria.

Methods: Four hundred folders of diabetic patients who attended the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) diabetic specialist clinic over five (5) years, from 2013 - 2018 were selected for the study using a proforma. Data analysis was carried out using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software.

Results: The study shows that 62.3% of the patients were females, while 37.8% were males. Prevalent symptoms reported among diabetic patients include polyuria (38%), polydipsia (27%), polyphagia (14.0%), and weight loss (13.6%). Hypertension (90.5%) was the major risk factor among others reported. Prevalence of diabetes was associated with age, as patients above 60 years of age formed a greater proportion of the respondents. Also, 50% of patients showed a positive family history of diabetes in relation to their parents, while 32.69% and 17.31% of the patients’ family history were related to their siblings and other relation respectively. Higher proportion of patients (75.5%) was diagnosed of diabetes in less than five years. The most prescribed drug was Metformin (51%) followed by insulin (39.9%).

Conclusion: The study revealed that Metformin is the most utilized anti-diabetic drug among the elderly (especially women), who were most vulnerable to diabetes in South-Eastern Nigeria.

Keywords: Drug Utilization; Metformin; Anti-Diabetic Agents; Nigeria; South East

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