Abstract

CHARACTERIZATION OF POLYPHARMACY AND DRUG INTERACTIONS IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS IN A HOSPITAL IN PACHUCA MEXICO

Lourdes Cristina Carrillo-Alarcon*, Lizbeth Norato-Canales, David Chavez-Gallegos, Alberto Vizueth-Martinez, Erika Moedano-Alvarez, Juan Pablo Vargas-Carrillo, Moisés Ocampo-Torres and Juan de Dios Alvarez-Lopez

ABSTRACT

Objective: To determine the characteristics of polypharmacy in a pediatric secondary-care hospital in Pachuca, México and identify the principal drug interactions. Material and methods: This was an observational descriptive cross-sectional study of hospitalized patients with three or more drugs prescribed during the period of September to November 2015 and with an age range of one day to 18 years, of both genders, and in any of the hospital services. Descriptive statistics was performed with SPSS software version 18 and the free access software “Drug Interaction Checker” WebMD LLC was used for the identification of drug interactions. Results: A total of 446 drugs were prescribed. Ninety-nine patients were identified with bacterial pneumonia (22%) being the most frequent pathology; 77 patients (77%) were given 3 to 5 drugs with a median of four. The most frequently prescribed drugs were omeprazole (10.09%), paracetamol (6.5%), ketorolac (5.61%), methylprednisolone (4.93%) and amikacin (4.04%) with the latter being the most frequently prescribed antibiotic. A total of 79 drug interactions were identified in 38 (38.4%) patients. Ten interactions occurred in one patient who had 11 drugs prescribed. Phenytoin and omeprazole were the drugs that were most frequently involved in interactions. Of these 49.37% were significant, 48.1% minor, and 2.53% severe. Conclusions: The characterization of polypharmacy in pediatric patients provides a guideline for the development of interventions aimed at the prevention of drug interactions and the promotion of rational drug use with an impact on the quality of life and patient evolution.

Keywords: Polypharmacy, drug interaction, pediatrics, rational drug use.