Results of a systematic adverse drug reaction (ADR)-screening concerning XXXX caused by drug interactions in departments of internal medicine in Rostock.

@entity1 @entity1168 @entity460
OBJECTIVES: The concomitant intake of drugs, which is frequently needed, may be associated with drug interactions. We report results on the screening of ADRs responsible for hospital admissions involving @entity1168 . This investigation was part of a BfArM pilot project with the objective of monitoring and reporting ADRs. METHOD: Beginning in 1997, a trained medical staff member of the Pharmacovigilance Center, Rostock, prospectively screened all hospital admissions to the Departments of Internal Medicine of the 2 hospitals in Rostock (40,000 hospital admissions). ADRs leading to hospital admission were registered, evaluated and reported. RESULTS: A total of 1,441 ADRs were recorded by the Pharmacovigilance Center Rostock in the period up to December 2000. 12% (n = 173) of all ADRs involve the cardiovascular system; 83 @entity1 (5.7% of all ADRs) suffered from @entity1168 . @entity1168 was the most frequent cardiovascular ADR observed. Of these @entity1 , 88% were receiving 3 - 10 different drugs. Drugs suspected of causing @entity1168 were: digitalis (n = 62), beta-blockers (n = 47), @entity460 channel blockers with negative chronotropic effect (n = 45), and antiarrhythmic drugs (n = 3). 54 @entity1 had received more than I of these drugs concomitantly as outpatients, increasing the risk of drug interactions: 18 @entity1 received digitalis + @entity460 channel blocker; 14 @entity1 digitalis + beta-blocker; 7 @entity1 beta-blocker + @entity460 channel blocker; 12 cases digitalis + beta-blocker + @entity460 channel blocker. CONCLUSION: The results show that special attention should be given to @entity1 who receive more than 1 drug when there is a high risk of @entity1168 . Drug combinations which may cause drug interactions should be avoided, especially when other equivalent therapeutic options are available.
