IJSR - International Journal of Scientific Research

Dr. Desai Sachin; Vinay Kanwar

Volume : VIII, Issue : V, May - 2019

Prevalence of adverse drug reactions following polypharmacy in elderly admitted in a tertiary care hospital of North Karnataka – an observational study

Dr. Desai Sachin, Vinay Kanwar

Abstract :

Background–Polypharmacy is defined as the intake of 2–9 medications concurrently / taking atleast one medication that is not clinically indicated (1–5. The elderly age group is the one affected the most due to the prevalence of multiple morbidities and decreased adherence to drugs. Objective–To find out the prevalence of adverse drug reactions following polypharmacy among senior citizens admitted in a tertiary care hospital. Material and methods –An observational study done in tertiary care hospital attached to S. N Medical college, Bagalkot, North Karnataka on 35 elderly, over a duration of 6 months (March –August ‘2018) were enquired along with the caregivers about ADR’s and were followed up till the end of the treatment course even after discharge through detailed telephone enquiry. Results â€“ the prevalence according to different classifications was calculated and out of all the ADR’s 34.7% were related to the drugs used in the treatment of Cardiovascular morbidities ,56.52% being mild (Hartwig and Siegel classification) with 13 belonging to Type A (Wills and Brown classification) and 69.4% having a probable association with the drug consumed (Naranjo’s probability scale) Conclusion–The research would help increase the quality of prescriptions and thereby reducing the adverse drug reactions that occur due to polypharmacy