Open AccessDrug-drug interactions: prospective study targeting department of cardiology
Author(s) -
Hocine Gacem,
Hadjer Nour El Imane Beriala,
Asma Hamzi,
Rachida Derghal,
Amel Ahmane
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
batna journal of medical sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2437-0665
DOI - 10.48087/bjmsoa.2014.1102
Subject(s) - drug , medicine , observational study , medical prescription , prospective cohort study , pharmacology , angiotensin converting enzyme , blood pressure
Background: Drug-drug interactions are a major cause and a source of iatrogenic events. It has been estimated that 42% of adverse drug reactions are preventable and occur mainly at the stage of prescription (49%) of which 17% are caused by drug-drug interactions. Aim: To estimate the prevalence of drug-drug interactions in the cardiology department, describe and analyze them according to associated factors. Method: A prospective observational study during 5 months from February to June 2013, at the medical cardiology department of Batna, was conducted on patients aged over 16 years who were admitted at least during 24 hours and received at least two drugs. Demographic and pharmacological data were collected using a validated and tested questionnaire. The prescriptions were analyzed searching for possible drug-drug interactions, using an automatized system of detection (THERIAQUE®). Descriptive statistics are generated and a univariate study is used to determine the associated factors. Results and Discussion: A total of 313 patients were included in the study, with a predominance of ischemic cardiopathy (43.8%, n: 137). 1115 interactions were identified in 285 patients. The prevalence of drug-drug interactions was estimated at 90.7% where drug classes most commonly involved belong to the cardiovascular system (63%) and the blood and blood-forming organs (32.4%). The most commonly concerned drugs were nitrates/inhibitors of angiotensin-converting enzyme- angiotensin II receptor antagonist (14.0%) and heparin/inhibitors of angiotensin-converting enzyme- angiotensin II receptor antagonists (12.1%). Drug classes most commonly involved belong to the cardiovascular system (63%) and that of the blood and blood-forming organs (32.4%). 50.2% of patients expressed adverse drug reactions whose most observed were: hypotension (36.3%) and bleeding (17.2%). Age, number of comorbidities, number of medications are factors for drug-drug interactions. Obtained prevalence is significantly high relative to that reported by literature (14-58 %). This difference is due to the fact that some studies were conducted in a single department while others in all departments of the hospital which may have high-level recruitment at low risk and therefore lower prevalence than those emerged in one department.