title: [Undesirable effects of spa treatments: apropos of a systematic, prospective spa surveillance study at Bagnères-de-Bigorre].
abstract: The aim of the study was a systematic prospective survey of adverse events at health resorts using the French method of assessment of imputability of adverse drug reactions. The work was performed over a period of one month in Grands Thermes at Bagnères-de-Bigorre (France, Pyrénées). Seventy-one adverse events were recorded in 1794 patients, i.e. 0.3 pour cent per day of treatment. Only one adverse event was considered as 'serious'. Six adverse events were evaluated as 'possible' and six others 'likely'. Most of the adverse events were general or neurological (such as asthenia, malaise) and were observed during the six first days at health resorts. These data show that health resorts in Bagnères-de-Bigorre are associated with a low number of adverse events. They show that an epidemiological survey of health resorts is possible. This work underlines the necessity of genuine surveillance for a modern evaluation of the benefit/risk ratio of health resorts.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Hydrologie et de Climatologie Médicales, Centre Midi-Pyrénées de Pharmacovigilance, de Pharmacoépidémiologie et d'Informations sur le Médicament, Faculté de Médecine, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Montastruc
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dutkiewicz
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Llau-Bousquet-Melou
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lapeyre-Mestre
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001452:Balneology; D001494:Baths / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006294:Health Resorts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*