RESUMEN
Each year many patients are hospitalized due to adverse drug reactions. Adverse reactions are the recognized hazards of drug therapy and they can occur with any class of drugs and many studies revealed that the incidence is more in case of antibiotics. Amoxicillin is a broad spectrum, bactericidal, beta lactam antibiotic, commonly used to combat various infections. Penicillin group of drugs are known to cause cutaneous drug eruptions especially in pediatric population. Most of the time, these eruptions are mild in nature, however, sometimes they represent the early manifestation of rare, severe drug-induced cutaneous reactions, such as Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN). Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) is a rare, life threatening dermatological disorder that is usually induced by medications. Seventy percent of the cases of TEN are drug induced, most commonly implicated drugs being anticonvulsants, antibiotics and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS). Here, we report a case of toxic epidermal necrolysis induced by amoxicillin in a 16 year old female patient. Rigorous treatment with systemic corticosteroids and immunoglobulins helped in recovery of the patient. The case is being reported to emphasize the need for efficient pharmacovigilance in order to motivate adverse drug reaction reporting so as to gather more and more data regarding adverse drug reactions. Through this report, we also seek the support of everyone concerned to detect and, if possible, prevent adverse reactions to drugs.
RESUMEN
Background: The aim was to study drug utilization pattern of analgesics in various departments of a tertiary care teaching rural dental hospital. Methods: A prospective and observational study was undertaken in 150 patients from January 2014 to February 2014. Relevant information was obtained from the interview as well the hospital case record. Structured and pre-tested format were used for compiling the data. Results: The majority of the patients (46%) were in the age group 41-60 years. Common indications for analgesic use included endodontic diseases (61.3%), surgical procedures (41.33%), and periodontal diseases (27.33%). Three analgesic formulations were used leading to a total of 150 drug uses. Fixed-dose drug combination (FDC) of diclofenac sodium plus paracetamol (78.66%) was the most commonly prescribed analgesic formulation, followed by aceclofenac plus paracetamol (15.33%) and ibuprofen (6%). The average number of analgesics prescribed per patient was 1.94. Analgesics were prescribed for 3 days. Except ibuprofen, FDC of diclofenac sodium + paracetamol and aceclofenac + paracetamol have been included in the WHO model list of essential medicines. All analgesic drug formulations were prescribed by their brand names. Conclusions: Drug utilization data can help to formulate appropriate clinical guidelines for drug use and facilitate rational use of medicines in population.