Concealed renal dysfunction risk factor for adverse drug reactions
Frail elderly patients in hospital should have their renal function assessed by estimating glomerular filtration rate before prescribing or re-evaluating drug therapy, say Italian researchers.
In a study involving over 11,000 patients, the researchers found that
patients with impaired renal function, despite a normal serum creatinine
level, were exposed to a similar risk of adverse drug reactions as patients
with overt renal insufficiency.
Concealed renal insufficiency was detected in 13.9 per cent of patients
and was associated with an increased risk of adverse drug reactions to
hydrosoluble drugs (odds ratio 1.61, 95 per cent confidence interval,
1.15–1.25). The odds ratio for adverse drug reactions to hydrosoluble
drugs in patients with overt renal insufficiency was 2.02 (1.54–2.65).
“Concealed renal insufficiency is highly prevalent in elderly hospitalised
patients and qualifies as an independent risk factor for adverse drug
reactions to hydrosoluble drugs,” the researchers warn (Archives
of Internal Medicine 2005;165:790). |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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