title: Adverse drug reactions induced by cardiovascular drugs in outpatients.
abstract: Considering increased use of cardiovascular drugs and limitations in pre-marketing trials for drug safety evaluation, post marketing evaluation of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) induced by this class of medicinal products seems necessary.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the rate and seriousness of adverse reactions induced by cardiovascular drugs in outpatients. To compare sex and different age groups in developing ADRs with cardiovascular agents. To assess the relationship between frequencies of ADRs and the number of drugs used.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study was done in cardiovascular clinic at a teaching hospital. All patients during an eight months period were evaluated for cardiovascular drugs induced ADRs. Patient and reaction factors were analyzed in detected ADRs. Patients with or without ADRs were compared in sex and age by using chi-square test. Assessing the relationship between frequencies of ADRs and the number of drugs used was done by using Pearson analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total number of 518 patients was visited at the clinic. ADRs were detected in 105 (20.3%) patients. The most frequent ADRs were occurred in the age group of 51-60. The highest rate of ADRs was recorded to be induced by Diltiazem (23.5%) and the lowest rate with Atenolol (3%). Headache was the most frequent detected ADR (23%). Assessing the severity and preventability of ADRs revealed that 1.1% of ADRs were detected as severe and 1.9% as preventable reactions. Women significantly developed more ADRs in this study (chi square = 3.978, P<0.05). ADRs more frequently occurred with increasing age in this study (chi square = 15.871, P<0.05). With increasing the number of drugs used, the frequency of ADRs increased (Pearson=0.259, P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Monitoring ADRs in patients using cardiovascular drugs is a matter of importance since this class of medicines is usually used by elderly patients with critical conditions and underlying diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy. Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences . Tehran ( Iran ).
authors.forename: Kheirollah
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gholami
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy. Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences . Tehran ( Iran ).
authors.forename: Shadi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ziaie
authors.affiliation: Iranian Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Center, Undersecretary for Food and Drug Affairs, Ministry of Health, Tehran ( Iran ).
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shalviri
keywords: Cardiovascular Agents; Iran; Postmarketing; Product Surveillance