Is hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) a common treatment for high blood pressure?

Thiazide diuretics are a commonly prescribed class of antihypertensives in the US, and hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) is the most commonly prescribed thiazide.^1-3 Hwang et al. analyzed antihypertensive drug trends from 2008 to 2014 using prescription claims data from the Marketscan database.² The Marketscan database represents nearly 55% of employer-based insurance programs, covering nearly 30 million Americans.⁴ Adults between the ages of 18 and 65 with an International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code of hypertension were included in the analysis.² In 2014, HCTZ made up 92.9% of thiazide diuretics being used.² Analyses of antihypertensive drug trends, both using National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) data, also found hydrochlorothiazide to be the most widely used diuretic.^1,3

HCTZ used as monotherapy increased 3.4% from 2001 to 2010.¹ The use of HCTZ in combination with other antihypertensives also increased over this period.

49 million prescriptions were written for HCTZ in the US in 2016.⁵

^References

1. Gu Q, Burt VL, Dillon CF, Yoon S. Trends in antihypertensive medication use and blood pressure control among United States adults with hypertension: the National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001 to 2010. Circulation 2012; 126 (17): 2105-2114.
2. Hwang AY, Dave C, Smith SM. Trends in Antihypertensive Medication Use Among US Patients With Resistant Hypertension, 2008 to 2014. Hypertension 2016; 68 (6): 1349-1354.
3. Kantor ED, Rehm CD, Haas JS, Chan AT, Giovannucci EL. Trends in Prescription Drug Use Among Adults in the United States From 1999-2012. JAMA 2015; 314 (17): 1818-1831.
4. Smith JC, Medalia C. Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2014. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau; 2015.
5. Aitken M, Kleinrock M. Medicines Use and Spending in the U.S.: A Review of 2016 and Outlook to 2021. 2017.