Extremes in drug utilization patterns. Low prescribing of antihypertensives in the District of Novi Sad, Yugoslavia.

According to data expressed in defined daily doses (DDD), the utilization of antihypertensives is lower in the district of Novi Sad (Yugoslavia) than in other settings studied so far. The number of actually treated persons is even lower than that indicated by the DDD value, which in 1981 was 23.4 DDD/1 000 inhabitants/day. Currently, the participating members in the WHO coordinated MONICA-project are considering the possibility to incorporate the defined daily dose approach to evaluate drug usage in relation to morbidity data. This offers a realistic prospect for identifying the medical consequences of the regional differences in prescribing patterns.