Table 5.
Adjusted hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals for repeat adverse drug reactions (ADRs) for Charlson comorbidity at first admission to hospital for ADR in older adults
| Comorbid conditions | No (%) with first time ADR only | No (%) with repeat ADR | Adjusted HR (95% CI)* | P value† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Congestive cardiac failure | 3858 (16.4) | 889 (17.6) | 1.56 (1.43 to 1.71) | <0.001 |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 978 (4.2) | 196 (3.9) | 1.27 (1.09 to 1.48) | <0.01 |
| Chronic pulmonary disease | 1537 (6.5) | 497 (9.8) | 1.61 (1.45 to 1.79) | <0.001 |
| Rheumatological disease | 622 (2.6) | 210 (4.2) | 1.65 (1.41 to 1.92) | <0.001 |
| Mild liver disease | 164 (0.7) | 35 (0.7) | 1.48 (1.05 to 2.07) | 0.03 |
| Diabetes (mild to moderate) | 2276 (9.7) | 531 (10.5) | 1.18 (1.07 to 1.30) | <0.01 |
| Diabetes with chronic complications | 507 (2.2) | 248 (4.9) | 1.91 (1.65 to 2.22) | <0.001 |
| Renal disease | 1045 (4.4) | 373 (7.4) | 1.93 (1.71 to 2.17) | <0.001 |
| Any malignancy including lymphoma and leukaemia | 2538 (10.8) | 811 (16.0) | 1.87 (1.68 to 2.09) | <0.001 |
| Moderate or severe liver disease | 89 (0.4) | 19 (0.4) | 1.85 (1.18 to 2.92) | <0.01 |
| Metastatic solid tumour | 1245 (5.3) | 273 (5.4) | 2.25 (1.92 to 2.64) | <0.001 |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 1601 (6.8) | 226 (4.5) | 0.85 (0.73 to 0.98) | 0.02 |
| Dementia | 791 (3.4) | 77 (1.5) | 0.62 (0.49 to 0.78) | <0.001 |
| Hemiplegia or paraplegia | 762 (3.2) | 102 (2.0) | 0.73 (0.59 to 0.89) | <0.01 |
| Myocardial infarction | 1332 (5.7) | 224 (4.4) | 0.98 (0.84 to 1.13) | 0.73 |
| Peptic ulcer disease | 1847 (7.9) | 298 (5.9) | 1.09 (0.95 to 1.25) | 0.24 |
| AIDS | 3 (<0.1) | 2 (<0.1) | 1.65 (0.41 to 6.71) | 0.48 |
*Estimates from Cox regression models included terms for age (continuous), sex (female, male), indigenous status (non-Aboriginal, Aboriginal), residence (regional/rural area, metropolitan), admission type (elective, emergency), type of hospital attended (public, private, other), length of stay (continuous), socioeconomic disadvantage (fifths), calendar period of ADR (continuous), and drug categories responsible for first-time ADR.
†For hazard ratio (HR), using patients with absent comorbidity as reference category.