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INTRODUCTION: Skin is the most commonly involved organ in adverse drug reactions. Most of the cutaneous adverse drug reactions (CADRs) being of mild to moderate severity are likely to be diagnosed and treated in an outpatient setting. Consequently, knowledge regarding morphological pattern, severity and drugs implicated in causation of these CADRs has important implications for healthcare personnel. AIM: To determine the current clinical pattern of CADRs and to assess their causality and severity with the help of standard scales. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A prospective, observational study was conducted in the outpatient department of skin and venereal disease in a tertiary care hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with suspected CADR after consumption of systemic drug(s) were enrolled in the study. Data regarding demographics, clinical manifestations of CADR, drug history preceding the reaction, concomitant illness, relevant laboratory investigations etc was obtained. This data was then analysed for morphological pattern, causality and severity. CADRs with causality assessment possible and above on the basis of World Health Organization-Uppsala Monitoring Centre causality assessment system were considered for analysis. STATISTICS: Descriptive statistics were used to express results of pattern, severity and causality of CADRs. RESULTS: Ninety patients were enrolled in the study. Male to female ratio for CADRs was 1:2.33. Maculopapular rash was most commonly encountered CADR in 76.67% cases followed by urticaria (8.89%), Stevens-Johnson syndrome (4.4%) and fixed dose eruptions (3.33%). Antiretrovirals were implicated in 75.56% (68/90) of CADRs. Nevirapine was suspected in 52 out of 90 (57.77%) cases of CADRs which included 39 cases of maculopapular rash, five cases of urticaria, four cases of Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and two cases each of pustular rash and angioedema respectively. Antimicrobials, antiepileptics and Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) were other suspected drugs. CONCLUSION: Antiretrovirals especially nevirapine was implicated in variety of CADRs ranging from maculopapular rash to life-threatening reactions like Stevens-Johnson syndrome in an outpatient setting. Women were twice as susceptible as men for CADRs.
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OBJECTIVES: To observe the cardiovascular emergencies which were most frequently treated and to quantify the drug utilization trends in the cardiovascular emergencies, in terms of the Defined Daily Doses [DDD] and the prescribing prevalence in the cardiovascular emergencies. METHODS: This prescription based study was undertaken in the Medicine ICU of the government medical hospital. The age, sex, diagnosis (only cardiovascular) and the drugs which were prescribed, were recorded for each patient. Also, the brand names and the generic names of the prescribed drugs were noted. The collected data was analyzed to study the drug utilization trends. RESULTS: It was observed that the most commonly treated cardiovascular disease was IHD. The IHD was more in males than in females who were below 50 years of age and it was nearly equal in the age groups which were above 50 years. The use of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitors was higher than that of the beta blockers and the calcium channel blockers. The patients with cardiovascular emergencies also had preceding associated diseases like diabetes mellitus and hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: The protocol of the management which was followed by the college in the treatment of cardiovascular emergencies was competent enough, as the clinical outcomes of the patients were favourable. But there was a guideline incongruent prescribing behaviour which was statistically significant, for which there is a need to undertake large scale studies.
