Kusuri-no-Check No.3

Kusuri-no-Check

"Check-up Your Medicines to Save Your Life"

No.3 Hypertension

Message from Abroad

Mary Hemming
CEO, Therapeutic Guidelines Ltd. (Australia)

Main Feature: Hypertension

■Principles of treatment for hypertension

■Frequent changes in blood pressure are normal.

TAKAMOTO, Eiji

■Treatment for hypertension
　Is the reference blood pressure in new guidelines appropriate?

■Which antihypertensive drugs should we choose?

■Hypertension and prostatic hypertrophy: α-blocker
　"Killing two birds with one stone?"

KIMOTO, Yasusuke

■Drug information leaflet for patient (Thiazide diuretic anti-hypertensives)

Feature 2

■Diabetics, mind your feet!!

HAYASHI, Keiji

■List of Drug Evaluation: Cholesterol lowering agents

Series

■The Relay Essay "Let's dump drugs"

HARUMOTO, Sachiko

■Tricks in Assessment/Approval of New Drugs:
　Post-Marketing Clinical Trials (calcium antagonists)
　Only one randomized placebo-controlled long term clinical trial for hypertension has been conducted. It showed negative result and was discontinued.

■Extra : What's behind the vicious precept of WHO?

■Bioethics in Lay Language 3 "Bioethics of Placebo (2)"

TANIDA, Noritoshi

■How to Communicate with Doctors---Case Studies
　1. One patient received inconsistent prescriptions from two different doctors, and came to us for advice. As a pharmacy outside of hospital, how should we deal with such a situation?
　2. Brain damage caused by Theodur (theophylline) syrup

■Visit: Report from EPO(erythropoietin) Lawsuit Symposium

■Editorial
　Criticizing the ruling that "Mr. Abe, the defendant is not guilty" in AIDS drug disaster.

HAMA, Rokuro

■Coffee Break: What's NPOJIP? (3)

■Q & A: "Isn't Pontal (mefenamic acid) dangerous?"

■Readers' Voice

■Correspondence

Words Frequently Heard at Hospital

1) Blood Pressure---Closer to the heart, higher it gets.
2) Hypertension---A single check on blood pressure is not enough for determining the disease.
3) Antihypertensive Drugs---May prevent complications and extend life
4) Low Blood Pressure---Less risk for serious diseases
5) Stroke---Still high mortality rate and hospitalisation rate
6) Diagnosis of Stroke---CT may clearly show abnormality.