Efectos adversos por medicamentos en pacientes ambulatorios ancianos en el momento de su ingreso hospitalario
- Joseba Mikel Ibarmia Lahuerta
- Paula Arriola Martínez
- Ainhoa Burzaco Sánchez
- Eva Lizarralde Palacios
- Luis Carlos Hinojal Ortega
ISSN: 1139-7357
Año de publicación: 2003
Volumen: 5
Número: 6
Páginas: 345-350
Tipo: Artículo
Otras publicaciones en: Atención Farmacéutica
Resumen
Objective: To know the number of drugs and the prevalence of adverse drug events (ADEs) in the elderly population from the ambulatory environment. Methods: A prospective study of two months of duration conducted to patients older than 65 years of age, which gathered information about hospital entrances in an internal medicine service. Results: 82.6% (272) of patients entered during this period were older than 65 years. The average drug consumption by the patients was of 4.8 (range: 0-14). ADEs were detected in 71 patients (26.1%). Eight cases were labeled with possible ADEs and 63 patients were described with probable ADEs. A total of 77 ADEs occurred in these 63 patients. ADEs were the cause for a hospital entrance in 23 patients, which represented an 8.4% of the causes for entrance in elderly patients during the period. In fact, 36.5% of ADEs provoked a hospital entrance. Conclusions: The results show excessive drug consumption by the elderly population and the large number of hospital entrances in relation to the undesirable effects induced by medication