title: [Not Available].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the characteristics of adverse drug events (ADE) causing emergency medical admissions in the elderly.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained from two prospective cross sectional studies with similar experimental design which were carried out in seven French emergency departments in 1999 and 2003. The proportion of ADE leading to admission, their severity and preventability were assessed in patients aged ≥70 (group A) and compared to those of patients <70years (group B).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of a total of 2907 patients, 1158 (39.8%) were ≥70years of age. Among these, 17.1% were admitted as a result of an ADE vs. 13.2% in group B (p=0.004). ADE appeared to be more severe in group A than in group B. The part of preventable ADE did not significantly differ between the two groups (48.9% vs. 43.7%, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ADE are a common preventable cause of unplanned admissions, especially in the elderly.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Accueil des Urgences, Centre Hospitalier d'Agen, Agen, France. Electronic address: albert.trinh-duc@wanadoo.fr.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trinh-Duc
authors.affiliation: Service de Médecine Gériatrique, CHU Rouen, Rouen, France.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Doucet
authors.affiliation: Service de Rhumatologie, Groupe Hospitalier Pellegrin & Laboratoire de Thérapeutique, Université Victor Segalen, Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bannwarth
authors.affiliation: Service de Santé Publique et Information Médicale, CHU de Saint-Etienne, Saint Etienne, France.
authors.forename: Béatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Trombert-Paviot
authors.affiliation: Service d'Accueil des Urgences, CHU de Grenoble, Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carpentier
authors.affiliation: Service d'Accueil des Urgences, CHU de Rennes, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bouget
authors.affiliation: Académie Nationale de Médecine, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Queneau
keywords: adverse drug events; des urgences; effets indésirables; elderly; emergency departments; médicamenteux; preventability; service d’accueil; sujets âgés; évitabilité