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. 2016 May 2;11:497–505. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S99097

Table 3.

Studies investigating risk factors for ADR-related hospital admission in older patients

Study Country Year conducted Design Duration Settings Mean/median age (years) Main outcome measures Predictors/risk factors
Onder et al5 Italy 1988–1997 Multicenter pharmacoepidemiology survey 10 years Academic hospitals 70 ADR severity, potentially responsible drugs, predictors Female sex (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.10–1.54)
Alcohol use (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.20–1.60)
Number of drugs (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.20–1.27 for each drug increase)
Severe ADRs
Age (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.01–2.23 for age 65–79 years and OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.00–2.33 for age ≥80 years)
Comorbidity (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.05–1.20 for each point in the CCI)
Number of drugs (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.11–1.25 for each drug increase)
Marcum et al12 USA 2004–2006 Retrospective cohort 3 years All admissions (veterans) 76.4 ADR causality, preventability, predictors Polypharmacy (≥9 and 5–8 medications)
(AOR 3.90, 95% CI 1.43–10.61 and AOR 2.85, 95% CI 1.0–7.85, respectively)
Mannesse et al17 The Netherlands 1994 Observational cross-sectional 3 months University hospital 78 Risk indicators for severe ADRs Fall before admission (OR 51.3, P=0.006)
Gastrointestinal bleeding or hematuria (OR 19.8, P<0.00l)
Use of three or more drugs (OR 9.8, P=0.04)
Franceschi et al18 Italy 2004–200S Prospective cross-sectional 1 year Geriatric 76.5 ADR prevalence, avoidability Drug-drug interactions (32.3%)
Inappropriate prescription (21.8%)
Wawruch et al19 Slovakia 2003–2005 Retrospective cross-sectional 1.4 years Internal medicine 76.6 ADR predictors Ischemic heart disease (OR 4.50, 95% CI 1.36–14.88)
Depression (OR 2.49, 95% CI 1.08–5.77)
Heart failure (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.13–3.81)
Wu et al21 Canada 2003–2008 Retrospective cohort 5 years Emergency department 77 Incidence, cost, risk factors Sex (for females, AOR 0.81, 95% CI 0.72–0.92)
Age (AOR 1.03, 95% CI 1.02–1.04)
CCI score >3 (AOR 1.86, 95% CI 1.48–2.33)
Number of drugs (AOR 1.48, 95% CI 1.13–1.93 for 6–10 drugs and AOR 1.93, 95% CI 1.49–2.51 for > 1 1 drugs)
Multiple pharmacies (AOR 1.13, 95% CI 1.00–1.27)
Newly prescribed drugs (AOR 1.17, 95% CI 0.93–1.47)
Recent hospital admission (AOR 1.47, 95% CI 1.23–1.76)
Long-term care residence (AOR 2.08, 95% CI 1.62–2.67)
Pedros et al23 Spain 2009–2010 Cross-sectional 120 days Teaching hospital 75 ADR predictors Age ≥65 years (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.10–2.29)
Number of drugs taken 3–5 (OR 5.07, 95% CI 2.71–9.50), 6–9
(OR 5.90, 95% CI 3.16–1 1.01), and ≥ 10 (OR 8.94, 95% CI 4.73–16.89)
Alexopoulou et al24 Greece 2005 Prospective cross-sectional 6 months University hospital 65 Frequency of ADRs, causality, severity, preventability, predictors Number of drugs (OR 1.064, 95% CI 1.019–1.109)
Olivier et al35 France 2002–2003 Prospective cross-sectional 4 weeks Emergency department 80.2 ADR incidence, risk factors Number of drugs (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.08–1.29)
Self-medication (OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.18–4.66)
Use of antithrombotics (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.33–3.88)
Use of antibacterial drugs (OR 4.04, 95% CI 1.50–10.83)
Malhotra et al37 India 2000 Prospective cross-sectional 7 months Emergency department 72.5 Risk factors Number of drugs ≥3 (OR 4.3)
Consulting >3 physicians (OR 5.7)
Living alone (OR 4.3)
Chen et al38 Taiwan 2009–2010 Prospective case-control 1 year Emergency department 65 Risk factors Number of drugs (AOR 4.1, 95% CI 2.4–6.9 for 3–7 drugs; AOR 6.4, 95% CI 3.7–11.0 for eight or more drugs) and increased concentration of serum creatinine (AOR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1–2.2)
Zhang et al41 Australia 2005 Retrospective cohort Records of ADR admission from 1980 to 2000 and followed for 3 years All public and private hospitals Mean age not reported, study in patients aged ≥60 years ADR predictors Sex(HR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02–1.15, for men)
First admission in 1995–1999 (HR 2.34, 95% CI 2.00–2.73)
Length of hospital stay (HR 1.1 1, 95% CI 1.05–1.18, for stays ≥ 14 days)
CCI (HR 1.71, 95% CI 1.46–1.99, for score ≥7)
Comorbid congestive cardiac failure (HR 1.56, 95% CI 1.43–1.71), peripheral vascular disease (HR 1.27, 95% CI 1.09–1.48), chronic pulmonary disease (HR 1.61, 95% CI 1.45–1.79), rheumatological disease (HR 1.65, 95% CI 1.41–1.92), mild liver disease (HR 1.48, 95% CI 1.05–2.07), moderate to severe liver disease (HR 1.85, 95% CI 1.18–2.92), moderate diabetes (HR 1.18, 95% CI 1.07–1.30), diabetes with chronic complications (HR 1.91, 95% CI 1.65–2.22), renal disease (HR 1.93, 95% CI 1.71–2.17), any malignancy including lymphoma and leukemia (HR 1.87, 95% CI 1.68–2.09), and metastatic solid tumors (HR 2.25, 95% CI 1.92–2.64)

Abbreviations: ADR, adverse drug reaction; OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; CCI, Charlson Comorbidity Index; AOR, adjusted odds ratio; HR, hazard ratio.