Adverse drug rections in hospitalized pediatric patients of Phetchabun hospital.

Abstract

Objective : To evaluate the incidence of the adverse drug reactions (ADR) in hospitalized pediatric patients and determine the predominant symptoms, most common drugs that cause adverse drug reactions in children.

Method : A retrospective study was performed through reporting forms of adverse drug reactions for patients who were admitted due to other illness in a pediatric ward of Phetchabun Hospital from January 2006 to December 2009.

Results : There were a total of 15,411 children admitted in pediatric ward with 15 events of adverse drug reactions over the four-year study period, yielding the incidence of 0.1 percent. The events were 4 times more frequent in females than male and most frequent between 5-15 years of age. Most of the adverse reactions expressed as cutaneous manifestations, with 46.67 percent having maculopapules, 26.66 percent urticaria, 13.33 percent Stevens-Johnson syndrome and 7.67 percent angioedema and anaphylaxis. The reactions were mostly associated with antibiotics, with ceftriaxone being the most frequent, followed by amoxicillin, cloxacillin and ampicillin. There were no fatal cases resulting from the adverse reactions.

Conclusion : Morbidity and mortality from adverse drug reactions are important problems in pediatric patients requiring efficient monitoring and reporting system to help early detection, increasing awareness among health professionals and parents as well as reducing the risk of occurrence.

Key words : Adverse drug reactions, pediatric patients