Table 2.
ADRs Causing Hospitalization (by Major Condition and Therapeutic Class) among Older Veterans (n=678)
| Major Diagnosis Category (n)* | Most Common Conditions in Each Diagnosis Category (n) | Most Common Therapeutic Classes (n)† |
|---|---|---|
| Circulatory system (18) | Bradycardia/Heart Block (6) | Beta-blockers (6) Digitalis glycosides (2) Calcium channel blockers (1) |
| Congestive Heart Failure (3) | Blood glucose regulation agents (TZD) (2) Calcium channel blockers (1) |
|
| Hypotension (3) | Alpha blockers (2) ACE Inhibitors (1) Loop diuretics (1) Thiazide diuretics (1) Tricyclic antidepressant (1) |
|
| Arrhythmia/Tachycardia (3) | Antiarrhythmics (1) Xanthine-derivative bronchodilators (2) |
|
| Endocrine, nutritional, metabolic, and immunologic (16) | Hypoglycemia (6) | Oral hypoglycemic agents (5) Insulin (2) Anti-infectives, other (FQ) (1) Blood glucose regulation agents (TZD) (1) |
| Hyponatremia (3) | Thiazide diuretics (3) Loop diuretics (1) Potassium-sparing diuretics (1) |
|
| Acidosis (2) | Blood glucose regulation agents (2) | |
| Gastrointestinal/Genitourinary (12) | GI Bleed (5) | Anticoagulants (3) Platelet aggregation inhibitors (3) |
| Ulcer (2) | Platelet aggregation inhibitors (2) NSAIDs (1) |
|
| Musculoskeletal and connective tissue (7) | Fall (6) | Antidepressants (3) ACE Inhibitors (2) Anticonvulsants (2) Alpha blockers (1) Antineoplastics (1) Beta-blockers (1) Loop diuretics (1) Non-opioid/opioid analgesics (1) |
| Cognitive (7) | Mental Status Changes (6) | Anticonvulsants (2) Antidepressants (2) Benzodiazepines (2) Antiemetics (1) Opioid analgesics (1) |
| Hepatic/Renal (5) | Acute Kidney Injury (4) | Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesics (3) ACE Inhibitors (1) Loop diuretics (1) Platelet aggregation inhibitors (1) Sulfonamides (1) |
| Other (5) | Clostridium difficile (3) | Beta-lactam antimicrobials (2) Anti-infectives, other (FQ) (1) 1st generation cephalosporins (1) |
| Overall (70) | -- | -- |
Abbreviations: ACE: angiotensin converting enzyme; ADR: adverse drug reaction; FQ: fluoroquinolone; NSAIDs: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; TZD: thiazolidinedione
*
Some Veterans may have experienced an ADR in >1 diagnostic category.
†
Some Veterans experienced an ADR from >1 class of medications or an ADR from multiple medications in a single class. ADRs from multiple medications within a single major medication class were counted only once per veteran.