title: Serious adverse drug reactions in older adults notified to pharmacovigilance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the serious adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in older adults notified to pharmacovigilance, to identify the incriminated drugs and to search for risk factors of occurrence.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study including 106 serious adverse drug reactions notified to pharmacovigilance in patients aged of 65 years and more, over a period of 16 years. Imputation was established according to the French method and seriousness according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adverse drug reactions were essentially systemic. Incriminated drugs were mainly antibiotics, allopurinol and cardio-vascular drugs. Gender, age and number of administered drugs did not seem to be risk factors of serious ADRs occurrence. Among older adults, 4% died further to a serious ADRs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Systemic notification to pharmacovigilance will allow a better analysis of risk factors of serious ADRs occurrence and to insure safety and health to the older adults.
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; D018563:Disease Notification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004347:Drug Interactions; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D060735:Pharmacovigilance; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology