HC Deb 27 July 1981 vol 9 cc342-3W
Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what evidence is available to him of adverse side effects of diuretics; and what advice is given to doctors concerning their use.

Dr. Vaughan

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people he estimates suffer from raised blood pressure; and how many of these are estimated to be treated by diuretics.

Dr. Vaughan

No statistics are available from which a reliable estimate could be made of the number of people with raised blood pressure. A recent discussion of the prevalence of hypertension, particularly among men aged 50 to 64, appears in the Office of Health Economics briefing on mild hypertension published in November 1980, of which the hon. Member is aware. The number of hypertensive patients treated by diuretics is not recorded. The total numbers of prescriptions for diuretics issued by family doctors and dispensed by the general pharmaceutical services during the last three years are as follows:

prescriptions
1978 17,206,000
1979 18,490,000
1980 (11 months to end of November) 17,868,000