title: Retrospective evaluation of adverse drug reactions induced by antihypertensive treatment.
abstract: The use of cardiovascular drugs is related to the development of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in about 24% of the patients in the Cardiovascular Care Unit. Here, we evaluated the ADRs in patients treated with antihypertensive drugs. The study was conducted in two phases: In the first phase, we performed a retrospective study on clinical records of Clinical Divisions (i.e., Internal Medicine Operative Unit and Geriatric Operative Unit) from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. Moreover from January 1, 2013 to March 30, 2013 we performed a prospective study on the outpatients attending the Emergency Department (ED) of the Pugliese-Ciaccio Hospital of Catanzaro, by conducting patient interviews after their informed consent was obtained. The association between a drug and ADR was evaluated using the Naranjo scale. We recorded 72 ADRs in the Clinical Divisions and six in the ED, and these were more frequent in women. Using the Naranjo score, we showed a probable association in 92% of these reactions and a possible association in 8%. The most vulnerable age group involved in ADRs was that of the elderly patients. In conclusion, our results indicate that antihypertensive drugs may be able to induce the development of ADRs, particularly in elderly women receiving multiple drug treatment. Therefore, it is important to motivate the healthcare providers to understand their role and responsibility in the detection, management, documentation, and reporting of ADRs, as also all the essential activities for optimizing patient safety.
authors.affiliation: Centro Regionale di Informazione sul farmaco, AO Mater Domini, Catanzaro, and Department of Health Science, School of Medicine, University of Catanzaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Pierandrea
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rende
authors.affiliation: Centro Regionale di Informazione sul farmaco, AO Mater Domini, Catanzaro, and Department of Health Science, School of Medicine, University of Catanzaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Paletta
authors.affiliation: Pugliese Ciaccio Hospital, Catanzaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gallelli
authors.affiliation: Pugliese Ciaccio Hospital, Catanzaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Raffaele
authors.affiliation: Azienda Sanitaria Vibo Valentia, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Natale
authors.affiliation: Azienda Sanitaria Vibo Valentia, Italy.
authors.forename: Nazareno
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brissa
authors.affiliation: Centro Regionale di Informazione sul farmaco, AO Mater Domini, Catanzaro, and Department of Health Science, School of Medicine, University of Catanzaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Centro Regionale di Informazione sul farmaco, AO Mater Domini, Catanzaro, and Department of Health Science, School of Medicine, University of Catanzaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Santo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gratteri
authors.affiliation: Centro Regionale di Informazione sul farmaco, AO Mater Domini, Catanzaro, and Department of Health Science, School of Medicine, University of Catanzaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giofrè
authors.affiliation: Centro Regionale di Informazione sul farmaco, AO Mater Domini, Catanzaro, and Department of Health Science, School of Medicine, University of Catanzaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gallelli
keywords: Adverse events; antihypertensive drugs; pharmacovigilance; prospective study; retrospective study