Abstract

LARA FERNANDEZ, Héctor et al. Suspicions of adverse drug reactions at the Therapy Services. Rev Cub Med Mil [online]. 2008, vol.37, n.4, pp. 0-0. ISSN 1561-3046.

INTRODUCTION: Pharmacosurveillance is the indispensable scientific discipline to face the problems of a group of drugs increasingly growing in variety and potency. OBJECTIVES: To characterize the suspicions of adverse reactions to drugs in the Therapy Service of "Dr.Luís Díaz Soto" Higher Institute of Military Medicine. METHODS: We made a prospective and descriptive study including all patients admitted during a month that were daily monitored by means of pharmacological questionnaries, medical rounds, and review of medical histories. RESULTS: Of 206 patients, 21 had suspicions of adverse reactions to drugs (10.2 %). The Special Care Unit (SCU) of the Emergency Department, and the Surgery Intermediate Therapy Unit showed the greatest percentages (15.0 and 11.7 %). The most frequent clinical manifestations were related to skin rash, headache, and nausea (12.5 %). There was a predominance of patients aged 60 and over (47.6 %) and of females (71.4 %). The antimicrobial agents were the most reported with a 33.3 %, followed by analgesics, antipyretics, and anti-inflammatory agents (23.8 %). It was observed a prevalence of suspicions of adverse reactions to drugs of the central and peripheral nervous system (28.1 %), followed by the gastrointestinal system (25.0 %), and skin (21.8 %). The suspicions of adverse reactions of moderate severity to drugs prevailed (52.3 %). On analyzing the drugs/suspicions of adverse drug reactions ratio, we found a superiority of the probable ones (52.3 %). CONCLUSIONS: The appearance of suspicions of adverse reactions to drugs in the Therapy Service is significant. The antimicrobial agents presented the highest percentage of suspicions of adverse reactions to drugs. The central and peripheral nervous system was the most affected, and the suspicions of moderate adverse reactions to drugs were greater, with a predominance of those evaluated as probable.

Keywords : Adverse drug reaction; Therapy Service.

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