title: Adverse drug reactions in older adults: a retrospective study from pharmacovigilance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the adverse drug reactions notified in older adults to pharmacovigilance and to identify the incriminated drugs in their genesis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study including 688 notifications of adverse drug reactions to pharmacovigilance in patients aged of 65 years and more, over a period of 16 years and where the responsibility of one drug or more was incriminated in the genesis of the adverse reaction. Imputation was established according to the French method and seriousness according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sex-ratio W/M was 1.2. Average age was 71.3 years. The average number of administered drugs was 3.64 and polymedication was noted in 30% of cases. Adverse drug reactions were essentially cutaneous and systemic. Incriminated drugs were mainly antibiotics and cardio-vascular drugs. Serious adverse drug reactions were noted in 26%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In older adults, adverse drug reactions' notification to pharmacovigilance is necessary and allows assessing large scale epidemiologic studies to identify iatrogenic risk factors.
authors.affiliation: Tunisian National Centre of Pharmacovigilance, Tunis, Tunisia. charfirim@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: Rim
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Charfi
authors.forename: Sihem
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: El Aïdli
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zaïem
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kastalli
authors.forename: Samia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sraïri
authors.forename: Riadh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Daghfous
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lakhal
mesh_terms: D016907:Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000145:classification; D060735:Pharmacovigilance; D019338:Polypharmacy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations