Difference in Effectiveness Between The Use of Captopril and Amlodipine on Lowering Blood Pressure in Primary Hypertension Cases at The Piyungan Health Center

Abstract

Background: Hypertension is one of the leading causes of morbidity worldwide, with sufferers estimated to reach 1.5 billion and mortality reaching 9.4 million individuals by 2025. In Indonesia, hypertension prevalence reached 34.1% (Riskesdas, 2018), with the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) recording 11.01%. Captopril and amlodipine are commonly used first-line antihypertensive drugs. This study aims to determine the difference in effectiveness between captopril and amlodipine in reducing blood pressure among patients with primary hypertension. Method: This retrospective, before-after (pre-post) comparative study used secondary data from the medical records of 151 outpatients at the Piyungan Health Center (31 receiving captopril and 120 receiving amlodipine). Blood pressure was assessed before and after drug administration. Based on data normality and homogeneity testing, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyze systolic blood pressure and the One-Way ANOVA test to analyze diastolic blood pressure. Results: Both tests showed significant results (p=0.000; p<0.05). Post hoc analysis showed that captopril reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 5.387 and 5.774 mmHg, respectively, while amlodipine reduced them by 11.858 and 5.258 mmHg. Conclusion: Both captopril and amlodipine significantly reduced blood pressure. Amlodipine was significantly more effective in reducing systolic blood pressure, whereas the difference between the two drugs in reducing diastolic blood pressure was minimal and not clinically meaningful.