Dangerous Drug Combinations More Deadly For Seniors, New Study Says
An alarming number of hospital patients suffer a dangerous reaction to a drug they are prescribed there, with many of those reactions caused by the effects of drug combinations, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Liverpool. The study kept an eye observed more than 3,000 patients at 12 hospital wards and assisted living nursing homes for a period of six months. They found that the consumption of a large number of drugs placed patients at an increased risk for dangerous side effects, and that adverse reactions were most common in senior citizens.
“A significant predictor of adverse drug reactions in hospitals is the number of medications a patient is taking; each additional drug treatment increases the risk of experiencing an adverse drug reaction,” said researcher Bill Ryder. “This is one of the reasons why elderly people experience a higher incidence of reactions than young people, as they have more health conditions and generally take more medications.”
In more than half of the cases, the drug that caused the adverse reaction was first given to the patient inside the hospital. The drugs that caused the most problems were anticoagulants, which are blood thinners, and analgesics, which are painkillers, and diuretics.
Those who had adverse reactions ended up spending an average of six hours longer in the hospital than those who did not. Reactions ranged from the less severe, such as constipation, to more severe effects such as confusion, drug-resistant infection, kidney damage or internal bleeding. Over the course of the study, 14 patients died in part due to adverse drug reactions, and one was killed directly by such a reaction.
“There is no easy solution, but we can and have to do better as it is putting a burden on the National Health Service,” Ryder said. “Hospitals should look to improve their monitoring of patients and doctors should also consider in what situations patients are given drugs, how long they are put on them and consider if it is always necessary. It is vital that doctors and patients understand the need to regularly review prescriptions and personally tailor treatment to clinical need.”
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