[Deaths from adverse drug events in Brazil: Mortality Information System as a source of information]. / Óbitos por eventos adversos a medicamentos no Brasil: Sistema de Informação sobre Mortalidade como fonte de informação.

Adverse drug events (ADEs) are harmful events caused by medication, and some of which can lead to death. Death records are an important source of information when using codes from the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) suggestive of ADE. This study aimed to identify the ADEs registered in Brazililian Mortality Information System (SIM), analyzing data distribution by year, age group, and type of event. This is an ecological study with retrospective data collection, identifying ADEs in the SIM, using the ICD-10 codes. The study included deaths that occurred in Brazil from 2008 to 2016. An increase in the number of deaths associated with ADE was observed from 2008 to 2016, with a mortality rate per 1 million inhabitants ranging from 8.70 to 14.40 in the period. Most events corresponded to mental and behavioral disorders due to the use of psychotropic drugs. Most deaths (12,311) related to ADE codes were identified in several chapters of the ICD-10. Chapter XX, about adverse events, allowed the identification of a smaller number of deaths (4,893). Higher event rates were observed among individuals aged 60 years and over (39.8/1 million) and children younger than one year (22.0/1 million). The identification of ADE-related deaths on the SIM is an important strategy for addressing undesirable drug-related events. Deaths related to the use of psychotropic drugs were the most frequent ADE-related deaths and the elderly were the age group most affected by ADEs.

Os eventos adversos a medicamentos (EAM) são danos aos pacientes relacionados ao uso de medicamentos, parte dos quais pode levar à morte. Os registros de óbitos são fonte importante de informação, quando se empregam os códigos da 10ª revisão da Classificação Internacional de Doenças (CID-10) sugestivos de EAM. O estudo identificou os EAM registrados no Sistema de Informação sobre Mortalidade (SIM), analisando sua distribuição por ano, faixa etária e tipo de evento. Trata-se de um estudo ecológico com coleta de dados retrospectiva de identificação de EAM no SIM, por meio dos códigos da CID-10. O estudo compreendeu óbitos ocorridos no Brasil, de 2008 a 2016. Houve aumento nas proporções de óbitos associados aos EAM de 2008 a 2016, com taxa de mortalidade por 1 milhão de habitantes indo de 8,70 para 14,40 no período. A maioria dos eventos correspondeu aos transtornos mentais e comportamentais em razão do uso de psicofármacos. A maioria dos óbitos (12.311) relacionados a códigos de EAM foram identificados em diversos capítulos da CID-10. Já o capítulo XX, específico para eventos adversos, permitiu identificar parcela menor de óbitos (4.893). As maiores taxas de eventos ocorreram entre indivíduos com 60 anos ou mais (39,8/1 milhão) e crianças menores de um ano (22,0/1 milhão). A identificação de óbitos associados aos EAM, por meio do SIM, constitui uma estratégia importante para a abordagem dos eventos indesejáveis relacionados aos medicamentos. Os óbitos relacionados ao uso de psicofármacos foram os de maior frequência e os idosos foram a faixa etária mais acometida por EAM.

Los eventos adversos a los medicamentos (EAM) son daños a los pacientes relacionados con el uso de medicamentos, algunos de los cuales pueden provocar la muerte. Los registros de defunciones son fuente importante de información, cuando se emplean los códigos de la 10ª revisión de la Clasificación Internacional de Enfermedades (CIE-10) sugestivos de EAM. Identificar los EAM registrados en el Sistema de Información sobre Mortalidad (SIM), analizando su distribución, por año, grupo de edad y tipo de evento. Estudio ecológico con recolección de datos retrospectiva, de identificación de EAM en el SIM, por medio de los códigos de la CIE-10. El estudio comprendió muertes ocurridas en Brasil, de 2008 a 2016. Hubo aumento en las proporciones de muertes asociadas a la EAM de 2008 a 2016, con la tasa de mortalidad por 1 millón de habitantes pasando de 8,70 para 14,40, en el período. La mayoría de los eventos correspondieron a los trastornos mentales y del comportamiento debidos al consumo de psicofármaco. La mayoría de las muertes (12.311) relacionadas con los códigos EAM se identificaron en varios capítulos de la CIE-10. El capítulo XX, sobre eventos adversos, identificó un número menor de muertes (4.893). Las tasas más altas de eventos ocurrieron entre personas de 60 años o más (39.8/1 millón) y niños menores de un año (22.0/1 millón). La identificación de muertes asociadas a los EAM, por medio del SIM, constituye una estrategia importante para el enfoque de los eventos indeseables relacionados con los medicamentos. Las muertes relacionadas con el uso de psicofármacos fueron las más frecuentes y los ancianos fueron el grupo de edad más afectado por EAM.

Inappropriate medication use among the elderly: a systematic review of administrative databases.

BACKGROUND: Inappropriate medication use (IMU) by elderly people is a public health problem associated with adverse effects on health. There are a number of methods for identifying IMU, some involving clinical judgment and others, consensually generated lists of drugs to be avoided. This review aims to describe studies that used information from insurance company and social security administrative databases to assess IMU among community-dwelling elderly and to present the risk factors most often associated with IMU. METHODS: The paper search was conducted in Medline and Embase, using descriptors combined with free terms in the title or abstract. The limits applied were: publication date from January 1990 to June 2010, species (human) and publication type (excluding editorials, letters and reviews). Excluded were: case studies; studies in hospitals, nursing homes, or hospital emergency departments; studies of specific drugs or groups of drugs; studies exclusively of subgroups of ill, frail elderly or rural populations. Additional studies were identified from reference lists. Data were selected and extracted after independent reading by two of the authors, with disagreements resolved by a third author. The primary outcome assessed was prevalence of IMU, defined as the proportion of elderly who received at least one inappropriate medication. RESULTS: Of the 628 studies, 19 met the inclusion criteria, 78.9% of them conducted in the USA. All papers included used explicit criteria of inappropriateness, most commonly Beers criteria (73.7%) in their three versions (1991, 1997 and 2002). Other methods used included Zhan, which is derived from on Beers criteria and was applied in 21% of the papers selected. The study found that prevalence of IMU ranged from 11.5% to 62.5%. Only 68.4% of the studies included examined inappropriate use-related factors, the most important being female sex, advanced age and larger number of drugs. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that the prevalence of IMU among community-dwelling elderly is high and depends partly on the method used to evaluate improper use. Besides the diversity of methods, other factors, such as patient sex, age and number of drugs used concurrently, appear to have influenced the estimates of IMU.

Factors associated with hospital readmission in sickle cell disease.

BACKGROUND: Sickle cell disease is the most frequent hereditary disease in Brazil, and people with the disease may be hospitalised several times in the course of their lives. The purpose of this study was to estimate the hazard ratios of factors associated with the time between hospital admissions. METHODS: The study sample comprised all patients admitted, from 2000 to 2004, to a university hospital in Rio de Janeiro State, south-east Brazil, as a result of acute complications from sickle cell disease (SCD). Considering the statistical problem of studying individuals with multiple events over time, the following extensions of Cox's proportional hazard ratio model were compared: the independent increment marginal model (Andersen-Gill) and the random effects model. RESULTS: The study considered 71 patients, who were admitted 223 times for acute events related to SCD. The hazard ratios for hospital readmission were statistically significant for the prior occurrence of vaso-occlusive crisis and development of renal failure. However, analysis of residuals of the marginal model revealed evidence of non-proportionality for some covariates. CONCLUSION: the results from applying the two models were generally similar, indicating that the findings are not highly sensitive to different approaches. The better fit by the frailty model suggests that there are unmeasured individual factors with impact on hospital readmission.

The assessment of adverse events in hospitals in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence of adverse events in Brazilian hospitals. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study based on patient record review. SETTING: Three teaching hospitals in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: Random sample (1103) of 27 350 adult patients admitted in 2003. Patients under 18 years old, psychiatric patients and patients whose length of stay was less than 24 hr were excluded, and obstetric cases were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Incidence of patients with adverse events; proportion of preventable adverse events; number of adverse events per 100 patients and incidence density of adverse events per 100 patient-days. RESULTS: The incidence of patients with adverse events was 7.6% (84 of 1103 patients). The overall proportion of preventable adverse events was 66.7% (56 of 84 patients). The incidence density was 0.8 adverse events per 100 patient-days (103 of 13,563 patient-days). The patient's ward was the most frequent location of adverse events (48.5%). In regard to classification, surgical adverse events were the most frequent ones (35.2%). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of patients with adverse events at the three hospitals was similar to that in international studies. However, the proportion of preventable adverse events was much higher in the Brazilian hospitals.

[Complexity of therapeutic regimens prescribed for elderly retirees, Belo Horizonte/MG, Brazil]. / Complexidade do regime terapêutico prescrito para idosos.

OBJECTIVE: To examine factors associated with therapeutic regimen complexity of drug prescriptions for elderly people in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. METHODS: A household survey of elderly people selected by simple random sampling from Brazil's social security register. The medication complexity index (MCI), a direct measurement of actions required to administer medication, was derived from information in the latest prescription. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed to identify factors associated with the MCI. RESULTS: Of the 667 interviewees, 56.5% had prescriptions meeting the inclusion criteria; most (69.2%) were females aged 72.4 years (mean); 35.5% self-rated their health good or very good; and 37.4% reported five or more diseases. In the 15 days prior to interview, 1873 drugs were used (mean=5.1), of which 942 appeared on the prescriptions examined (mean=2.5). Over the same period, 22.3% of interviewees failed to use some prescribed drug. The MCI ranged from 1 to 24 (mean=6.1). Number of drugs prescribed (>2), less schooling, worse perception of health and a lower benefit payment associated positively with greater complexity (p<0.05). An association was observed between regimen complexity and failure to use some drug in the preceding 15 days (p=0.034). CONCLUSION: Elderly people in worse socio-economic and health conditions seem more likely to receive more complex therapeutic regimens, which are associated with non-compliance to the proposed treatment. This is an important consideration in the healthcare of elderly. Simplification of therapy could aid self-care among the elderly.

Consumption of the benzodiazepine clonazepam (Rivotril®) in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, 2009-2013: an ecological study. / Consumo do benzodiazepínico clonazepam (Rivotril®) no estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, 2009-2013: estudo ecológico.

This descriptive, ecological study of clonazepam consumption in Rio de Janeiro State (RJ) estimated use prevalence from 2009 to 2013 using data from the National Controlled Product Management System operated by Brazil's health surveillance agency, Anvisa. Consumption was measured by total population and by population over 18 years old, using the standardised Daily Defined Doses of 8 mg (anticonvulsant) and 1 mg (sedative-hypnotic). The municipalities of the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region were grouped by Human Development Index (HDI) and GINI index, subjected to cluster analysis and ranked by clonazepam consumption. From 2009 to 2013, consumption in the state rose from 0.35 to 1.97 DDD/1000 population, but the figures are higher for individuals over 18 years of age. A DDD of 1 mg instead of 8mg returns consumption in 2013 of 21 DDD/1000 population over 18 years of age. Consumption in 2013 was highest - 3.38 and 4.52 DDD, respectively - in Rio de Janeiro and Niterói, which have the highest HDIs. This suggests that up to 2% of the adult population uses clonazepam, possibly as a sedative-hypnotic. This broad use and use outside therapeutic indications deserves attention, given clonazepam's potential for abuse and adverse reactions.

O objetivo do estudo é estimar a prevalência do uso de clonazepam no Estado do Rio de Janeiro (RJ). Estudo ecológico e descritivo do consumo de clonazepam (2009-2013), com dados do Sistema Nacional de Gerenciamento de Produtos Controlados da Anvisa. O consumo foi medido pela Dose Diária Definida, com indicadores por população total e com 18 anos e mais utilizando a DDD padronizada de 8mg (anticonvulsivante) e a de 1mg (hipnosedativo). Os Municípios da Região Metropolitana foram agrupados segundo os Índices de Desenvolvimento Humano (IDH) e de GINI, submetidos à análise de conglomerados e apresentados segundo o consumo de clonazepam. No Estado do RJ, o consumo entre 2009 e 2013 aumentou de 0,35 para 1,97 DDD/1000 habitantes. Os valores são maiores para os indivíduos acima de 18 anos. Empregando-se 1mg ao invés de 8mg, chega-se a 21 DDD/1000 habitantes acima de 18 anos, em 2013. Rio de Janeiro e Niterói, com os maiores IDH, apresentaram em 2013 os maiores consumos, 3,38 e 4,52 DDD, respectivamente. Os dados sugerem que até 2% da população adulta é usuária de clonazepam, possivelmente como hipnosedativo. Deve-se atentar para o uso ampliado e fora de indicações terapêuticas, dados o potencial de abuso e as reações adversas ao clonazepam.

[Survey on medicine use by elderly retirees in Belo Horizonte, Southeastern Brazil]. / Inquérito sobre uso de medicamentos por idosos aposentados, Belo Horizonte,MG.

OBJECTIVE: To describe self-reported use of medicines by Brazilian elderly retirees focusing on gender differences. METHODS: Household survey conducted in a random sample comprising 667 subjects aged 60 years or more who were living in Belo Horizonte, Southeastern Brazil, in 2003. The elderly were interviewed by pharmacists, using a standardized questionnaire. The prevalence of medicine use and mean use in the 15 days previous to the interview were estimated and then stratified by gender according to sociodemographic and health variables. RESULTS: The prevalence of medicine use was 90.1%, and significantly higher among women (93.4%) than men (84.3%). Women and men took on average 4.6+/-3.2 and 3.3+/-2.6 products (p<0.001), respectively. The most frequently used drug category was cardiovascular, followed by nervous system and gastrointestinal tract and metabolism. Women showed higher use in all these drug categories, as well as higher mean number of drugs consumed, according to selected sociodemographic and health variables. CONCLUSIONS: The study identified higher use of medicines by women, making them more vulnerable to the harmful effects of polytherapy, such as drug interactions and inadequate use of medicines.

[Human albumin prescribed for malnutrition in hospitals of Rio de Janeiro]. / Albumina humana prescrita para casos de desnutrição em hospitais do Rio de Janeiro.

OBJECTIVE: This study describes and analyzes the adequacy of HA prescription, for nutritional replacement, in hospitals of the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Area and explores the use of SIH/SUS to evaluate the profile and quality of drug prescription. METHODS: The information was collected from the Hospital Information System of the "Sistema Unico de Saúde" SIH/SUS from 1999 to 2001. RESULTS: The use of HA for nutritional replacement was recorded in 121 admittances of subjects during 1 year, the most frequent justification being protein-caloric malnutrition (93%). HA use was classified as inadequate in 91% of cases. In 51% of the cases death occurred and the Clinical Practice Unit was responsible for 87% of the admittances. Inadequacy of the prescription was positively associated to length of hospital stay, with RP 1. 14 (IC95% 1.01-1.28). Death showed positive association with the patient's age, with RP 1.72 (IC 95% 1.19-2.48). The absence of laboratory parameters and lack of clinical databank information have limited data analysis. The SIH sub-registration of admittances, within the SUS ambit was another important restriction for more precise identification of the problem. CONCLUSION: In spite of the limitations, the study disclosed the high level of inappropriate utilization of HA for nutritional replacement and the possibilities of using the SIH/SUS databank to evaluate the quality of prescribing drugs such as HA included in the special procedures.

[The pharmacist: health professional and citizen]. / Farmacêutico: profissional de saúde e cidadão.

This text was presented at the V Congress on Pharmacy Care/Riopharma with the intent to approach some aspects important for discussing the role of the pharmacist as health professional and citizen capable of acting in society. To this purpose we decided to recall some of the cornerstones of the Brazilian health reform; the pressure of the industry on health professionals and regulatory agencies; the inequity in the distribution of medicaments among the different social classes. Some of the changes proposed in this paper are: to widen the role the pharmacist plays in pharmacotherapy; to prohibit drug advertising; a global and independent evaluation of the national regulatory agency; inclusion of information about medicament consumption during hospitalizations in the national databases.

Adverse drug events identified in hospitalized patients in Brazil by International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) code listings.

Studies of adverse drug events (ADEs) are important in order not to jeopardize the positive impact of pharmacotherapy. These events have substantial impact on the population morbidity profiles, and increasing health system operating costs. Administrative databases are an important source of information for public health purposes and for identifying ADEs. In order to contribute to learning about ADE in hospitalized patients, this study examined the potential of applying ICD-10 (10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases) codes to a national database of the public health care system (SIH-SUS). The study comprised retrospective assessment of ADEs in the SIH-SUS administrative database, from 2008 to 2012. For this, a list of ICD-10 codes relating to ADEs was built. This list was built up by examining lists drawn up by other authors identified by bibliographic search in the MEDLINE and LILACS and consultations with experts. In Brazil, 55,604,537 hospital admissions were recorded in the SIH-SUS, between 2008 and 2012, of which 273,440 (0.49%) were related to at least one ADE. The proportions and rates seem to hold constant over the study period. Fourteen out of 20 most frequent ADEs were identified in codes relating to mental disorders. Intoxications figure as the second most frequently recorded group of ADEs in the SIH-SUS, comprising 76,866 hospitalizations. Monitoring of ADEs in administrative databases using ICD-10 codes is feasible, even in countries with information systems under construction, and can be an innovative tool to complement drug surveillance strategies in place in Brazil, as well as in others countries.

[Out-of-pocket drug expenditures by retirees and pensioners 60 years and older in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil]. / Composição dos gastos privados com medicamentos utilizados por aposentados e pensionistas com idade igual ou superior a 60 anos em Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil.

The aim of this study was to analyze the structure of private drug expenditures by individuals 60 years and older in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The study population consisted of a representative sample of retirees under the National Social Security Institute (INSS) in the city of Belo Horizonte, interviewed through a household survey. Monthly out-of-pocket drug expenditures were calculated, and a drug cost structure analysis was performed according to drug characteristics. 667 elders answered the survey. Mean drug expenditures per month were US$ 38.91. The therapeutic groups representing the majority of drug expenditures were: cardiovascular system (26%), nervous system (24%), and digestive/metabolic system (15%). Considering drug registration categories, brand-name drugs accounted for the majority of expenditures (54%). The results of this study can support policies to improve both access to medicines and overall health conditions for the Brazilian elderly population.

[Drug adverse events in hospitals in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil]. / Agravos provocados por medicamentos em hospitais do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

OBJECTIVE: The occurrence of drug adverse events in hospital settings is high and generates cost excess. The purpose of the study was to identify drug-related events during hospital admissions and to estimate their prevalence. METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil. Hospitalizations from the Brazilian Health System's national hospital database during the period between 1999 and 2002 were assessed. Admitted cases including suspected drug adverse event cases with ICD-10 (2000) coding in the main diagnosis and/or secondary diagnosis fields were included in the study. Means and standard deviations of continuous variables as well as the statistical significance of differences were estimated using variance analysis (ANOVA with a 95% confidence interval). RESULTS: There were identified 3,421 drug-related adverse events, and a prevalence of 1.8 cases per 1,000 hospitalizations was estimated. Most cases occurred in males (64.5%) admitted in contracted (34.9%) and local public hospitals (23.1%) in the departments of psychiatry (51.4%) and internal medicine (45.2%), of them, 84.1% were discharged. Most of them were adverse drug reactions or drug poisoning, and there were significant difference (p<0.000) regarding age and length of stay between these categories. Patients having adverse events were younger (35.8 vs 40.5 years old) and stayed longer in hospital (26.5 vs 5.0 days). CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of drug adverse events, although lower than those findings of international studies, is significant. National hospital admission database was considered useful in the study of drug-related events.

[Use of medications by elderly Brazilian retirees: 1--methodology and response rates of a multicenter survey]. / Utilização de medicamentos por aposentados brasileiros: 1--metodologia e resultados de cobertura de inquérito multicêntrico.

This paper reports methodological aspects and response rates of a survey with the main objective of describing the drug utilization profile of retirees of the Institute of National Social Security of Brazil, 60 years of age or older, in three simple random samples: Brazil (countrywide), Belo Horizonte municipality, and Rio de Janeiro municipality. This cross-sectional study employed two approaches: mail (self-report questionnaires) and home interviews (questionnaires completed by interviewers). This strategy allowed evaluation of response agreement between the mail and home interview approaches. In the national sample of 3,000 individuals, 1,025 only responded to the self-report questionnaire. Despite this the low response rate, there was reasonable resemblance between respondents and non-respondents, suggesting that this sample is representative of the target population. In Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro the initial samples of 800 individuals were replicated for both approaches, mail and home interview. The response rates to the mail surveys were 46.8% and 34.4% in Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro, respectively. The response rates to the home interviews were 80.3% and 70.7% in Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro, respectively, after unavoidable attrition.

[Evaluation of human albumin use in a Brazilian hospital]. / Avaliação do uso de albumina humana em hospital do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

Human albumin is frequently used without regard for the relationship between its pharmacological properties and the respective disease. We investigated the prescription of human albumin in a Brazilian public hospital with emphasis on adherence to international guidelines. Data were gathered from pharmacy and medical records. From March to August 2001, 99 patients (>or= 15 years) received 1,475 units of human albumin, ordered in 498 prescriptions. The reason for prescribing human albumin was independently collected from medical records by two health professionals, and agreement was assessed by kappa statistics (95%CI: 0.72-0.85). According to different guidelines, prescriptions were classified as appropriate (33.1%), inappropriate (61.8%), controversial (4.6%), or undetermined (0.4%). Two probable cases of adverse reactions were identified. The proportion of inappropriate prescriptions is worrisome due to the product's high cost and its potential to cause adverse reactions. An appropriate strategy would be to encourage the application of guidelines issued by the national regulatory agency to promote rational use of human albumin and maximize patient safety.

[Epidemiology of sickle cell disease hospital admissions in Brazil]. / Epidemiologia de internações por doença falciforme no Brasil.

OBJECTIVE: Sickle cell disease is a hereditary disease, which affects mainly the black population. The aim of the present study was to analyze hospital admissions due to acute events resulting from sickle cell disease, at the epidemiological and clinical levels. METHODS: The study population included 9,349 patients with sickle cell disease admitted to hospitals in Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo, between 2000 and 2002. The national hospital database of the Brazilian Healthcare System was used. Response variables were death and mean duration of hospital admission. Covariables included sex, age, type of admission, and hospital legal status. Proportions were compared using Chi-square or Fischer tests; for continuous variables, the Mann-Whitney or Kruskall-Wallis tests were used. RESULTS: Median age ranged between 11.0 and 12.0 years, and 70% of admissions were of patients below age 20 years. Length of stay varied with age and type of admission. Emergency rooms were the most frequent form of admission (65.6 to 90.8%). Mortality was higher among adults. Median age of death was low (26.5 to 31.5 years). CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm the high morbidity among youngsters and show a predominance of death among young adults.

Auditory screening in the elderly: comparison between self-report and audiometry.

UNLABELLED: Despite its high prevalence in the aged, hearing loss has been poorly investigated. Audiometry is the gold standard for evaluation of hearing loss, but large-scale use of the procedure involves operational difficulties. Thus, self-report may be an alternative. AIM: To determine if a single global question is valid for use in epidemiologic research. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A search of the medical literature from 1990 to 2004 was performed using MEDLINE and LILACS. The references of the articles identified in the electronic search were also reviewed. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: The articles that compared the results obtained with self-report to a single global question with those obtained by pure tone audiometry were selected. Data about the prevalence of hearing loss, and sensitivity, specificity and predictive values were extracted. DATA SYNTHESIS: Ten longitudinal studies were included. A single global question seems to be an acceptable indicator of hearing loss, sensitive and reasonably specific, mainly if the hearing loss is identified as the tone average that includes frequencies up to 2 or 4 kHz, at 40 dBHL level, in the best ear. CONCLUSION: A single global question shows good performance in identifying older persons with hearing loss and can be recommended for an epidemiologic study if audiometric measurements cannot be performed.

[Prevalence, associated factors, and misuse of medication in the elderly: a review]. / Prevalência, fatores associados e mau uso de medicamentos entre os idosos: uma revisão.

Most elderly people use at least one medication, and about one-third use more than five drugs simultaneously. Many patients have no access to the drugs they most need, and others use unnecessary or dangerous drugs. The mean number of drugs used by the elderly, as quoted in different studies, varies from 2 to 5. Significant predictors for such misuse of medication are older age, female gender, precarious health conditions, and depression. Cardiovascular drugs, anti-rheumatics, and analgesics are the most frequently consumed therapeutic classes. Multiple use, prescription of contraindicated drugs, redundant use, and inadequate training of the health care team are associated with adverse drug effects and interactions. Better quality of prescriptions and research on drug use can bring benefits to people aged 60 years or older.

[Malnutrition mortality in the elderly, southeast Brazil, 1980-1997]. / Mortalidade por desnutrição em idosos, região Sudeste do Brasil, 1980-1997.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the frequency of nutritional disturbances as cause of death in elderly. METHODS: Female and male subjects aged 60 years and more were selected from municipalities of the southeastern region between 1980 and 1997. Data was collected from death certificates provided by the Death Data System (1980-1998) and the population size was estimated using data provided by the Center for Regional Development and Planning (Cedeplar). Death categorization was performed using the ICD-9 (260 to 263.9) for the period 1980 to 1995 and ICD-10 (E40 to E46) for recent years. RESULTS: In Brazil, between 1980 and 1997, there were 36,955 deaths associated to malnutrition among elderly. The southeast region concentrates the largest number of deaths, 23,968 (64.9%). In the state of São Paulo, there were 11,067 deaths caused by malnutrition in elderly and in the state of Rio de Janeiro, 7,763. These two regions are responsible for the highest values observed for the region. There are higher death proportions and mortality rates among subjects aged 70 years and more than in subjects of any sex of the age group 60 to 69 years. CONCLUSION: The preliminary results of the study raise some issues as follows: the role of malnutrition as an associated cause of death; the trend of increased number of deaths for malnutrition among elderly people; distinctive death characteristics among states in the same geographic region. Statistical analysis such as time series analysis might explain better these issues. There is a need to further study the role of malnutrition among elderly aged 60 years and more to establish adequate intervention programs.

Adverse drug events identified by triggers at a teaching hospital in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Adverse drug events (ADEs) are one of the most frequent causes of patient harm resulting from medical interventions, especially among inpatients. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of ADEs and characterise them in terms of degree of harm, medication implicated and patient symptoms, at a Brazilian university hospital. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of chart review. The method, developed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, uses triggers to identify possible ADEs. The study population comprised adult inpatients at least 15 years old. Obstetric patients and those hospitalised for less than 48 hours were excluded. Time spent in the intensive care unit was not considered for the purposes of this study. Patients were selected on the basis of simple random sampling of records of patients discharged from January to July 2008. The records selected were reviewed by a multidisciplinary team. The indicators of ADE incidence were patients with ADEs and ADE rate per 100 patients. Patients with and without ADE were compared in the bivariate analysis. To identify the drugs classes most often associated with events, the number of prescriptions of each class of drug was related to the number of events assigned to it. RESULTS: The 240 inpatients studied were of mean age 50.8 (SD = 20.0) years, and mostly male (63.8%). A total of 44 ADEs were identified in 35 patient records, with 14.6% of patients presenting ADE and a rate of 18.3% ADEs per 100 patients. The most frequent were skin rash and nausea and vomiting, but severe ADEs were also identified. In the bivariate analysis long hospital stay and use of 10 or more drugs were associated with the occurrence of ADEs (p-value < 0.01). The drug classes associated with the highest number of events were anti-infective. CONCLUSION: About 1/6 of the hospitalized patients in a teaching hospital showed adverse events what is, by itself, cause for concern. Increased number of prescribed drugs and greater period of hospitalization appear to favour the occurrence of these events. In the future studies with higher number of patients may offer evidences of the association.