TO STUDY EFFICACY OF BLOOD PRESSURE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM IN PATIENTS WITH KNOWN HISTORY OF HYPERTENSION FOR PUNE REGION: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Context: Hypertension (HTN) has been gaining more importance, due to rising apprehension of its causative func- tion in cardiovascular complications like stroke, coronary artery disease. Blood Pressure Management Program (BPMP) is a combination of Panchakarma and allied therapies and herbal drug therapy. Aim: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of BPMP on systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), body mass index (BMI) and dependency on conventional therapy in HTN Patients. Settings and Design: This retrospective study was conducted in July 2017, wherein the data of HTN patients who attended out-patient departments (OPDs) at Madhavbaug clinics in Pune, Maharashtra, India were identified. Methods and Material: Data of patients who were administered BPMP (60-75 minutes) with a minimum of 6 sittings over 90 days (± 15 days) were considered. Variables were compared between day 1 and day 90 of BPMP. Statistical analysis Used: Data were pooled and coded in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. R Version 3.4.1 software was used to analyse the data. Results: Out of 30 enrolled patients, 28 were males while 2 were females. BPMP showed significant improvement in SBP by 19.22% (from 144.73 ± 15.54 to 121.4 ± 14.34; p<0.001), DBP by 14.34% (from 86.06± 9.94 to 75.26 ± 6.35, p< 0.001), MAP by 17.31% (from 105.82 ± 11.20 to 90.20 ± 6.40, p<0.001). BMI (26.36 ± 3.38 kg/m2 to 25.59 ± 3.07 kg/m2), also showed significant reduction. Dependency on concomitant medicines was reduced, with the number of patients on no concomitant medicines increasing from 13% to 30%. Conclusions: BPMP can be an effective option for the management of HTN patients, along with conventional allopathic medications. Keywords: Blood pressure management program, BPMP, Panchakarma, Hypertension, Blood pressure, Systolic, Diastolic, Mean arterial pressure, Alternative medicine.