RESUMO
CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Drug interactions form part of current clinical practice and they affect between 3 and 5% of polypharmacy patients. The aim of this study was to identify the frequency of potential drug-drug interactions in prescriptions for adult and elderly patients. TYPE OF STUDY AND SETTING: Cross-sectional pharmacoepidemiological survey in the Parque Verde housing project, municipality of Cascavel, Paraná, Brazil, between December 2006 and February 2007. METHODS: Stratified cluster sampling, proportional to the total number of homes in the housing project, was used. The sample consisted of 95 homes and 96 male or female patients aged 19 or over, with medical prescriptions for at least two pharmaceutical drugs. Interactions were identified using DrugDigest, Medscape and Micromedex softwares. RESULTS: Most of the patients were female (69.8%), married (59.4%) and in the age group of 60 years or over (56.3%), with an income less than or equal to three minimum monthly salaries (81.3%) and less than eight years of schooling (69.8%); 90.6% of the patients were living with another person. The total number of pharmaceutical drugs was 406 (average of 4.2 medications per patient). The drugs most prescribed were antihypertensives (47.5%). The frequency of drug interactions was 66.6%. Among the 154 potential drug interactions, 4.6% were classified as major, 65.6% as moderate and 20.1% as minor. CONCLUSION: The high frequency of drug prescriptions with a potential for differentiated interactions indicates a situation that has so far been little explored, albeit a reality in household surveys.
Assuntos
Interações Medicamentosas , Polimedicação , Medicamentos sob Prescrição , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Brasil , Análise por Conglomerados , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Fatores Socioeconômicos , Adulto JovemRESUMO
CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Drug interactions form part of current clinical practice and they affect between 3 and 5 percent of polypharmacy patients. The aim of this study was to identify the frequency of potential drug-drug interactions in prescriptions for adult and elderly patients. TYPE OF STUDY AND SETTING: Cross-sectional pharmacoepidemiological survey in the Parque Verde housing project, municipality of Cascavel, Paraná, Brazil, between December 2006 and February 2007. METHODS: Stratified cluster sampling, proportional to the total number of homes in the housing project, was used. The sample consisted of 95 homes and 96 male or female patients aged 19 or over, with medical prescriptions for at least two pharmaceutical drugs. Interactions were identified using DrugDigest, Medscape and Micromedex softwares. RESULTS: Most of the patients were female (69.8 percent), married (59.4 percent) and in the age group of 60 years or over (56.3 percent), with an income less than or equal to three minimum monthly salaries (81.3 percent) and less than eight years of schooling (69.8 percent); 90.6 percent of the patients were living with another person. The total number of pharmaceutical drugs was 406 (average of 4.2 medications per patient). The drugs most prescribed were antihypertensives (47.5 percent). The frequency of drug interactions was 66.6 percent. Among the 154 potential drug interactions, 4.6 percent were classified as major, 65.6 percent as moderate and 20.1 percent as minor. CONCLUSION: The high frequency of drug prescriptions with a potential for differentiated interactions indicates a situation that has so far been little explored, albeit a reality in household surveys.
CONTEXTO E OBJETIVO: As interações medicamentosas fazem parte da prática corrente na clínica médica e a sua incidência oscila entre 3 por cento e 5 por cento nos pacientes fazendo uso da polifarmácia. O objetivo do estudo foi identificar a frequência de interações droga-droga potenciais em prescrições de pacientes adultos e idosos. TIPO DE ESTUDO E LOCAL: Inquérito farmacoepidemiológico de corte transversal, realizado de 12/2006 a 02/2007 no conjunto habitacional Parque Verde, Cascavel, Paraná, Brasil. MÉTODO: A amostra foi por conglomerado e estratificada, proporcional ao total de residências no conjunto habitacional, constituída de 95 residências, com 96 pacientes de 19 anos ou mais, sexo feminino e masculino, com prescrição de no mínimo duas especialidades farmacêuticas. As interações foram identificadas de acordo com os softwares DrugDigest, Medscape, Micromedex. RESULTADOS: A maioria dos pacientes pertencia ao gênero feminino (69,8 por cento), em situação conjugal casada (59,4 por cento), com renda menor ou igual a três salários mínimos (81,3 por cento), faixa etária 60 anos ou mais (56,3 por cento) e 8 anos ou menos de estudo (69,8 por cento) com 90,6 por cento dos pacientes moravam com mais outra pessoa. O total de especialidades farmacêuticas foi de 406, correspondendo a uma média de 4,2 medicamentos por paciente. Os fármacos mais prescritos foram os anti-hipertensivos (47,5 por cento). A frequência de interações medicamentosas foi de 66,6 por cento. Dentre as 154 interações medicamentosas potenciais, 4,6 por cento foram classificadas como maior e 65,6 por cento como moderada e 20,1 por cento como menor. CONCLUSÃO: A alta frequência de prescrições de drogas com potencial de interações diferenciado indica uma situação ainda pouco explorada, mas real em pesquisa domiciliar.