Antibiotic Related Adverse Drug Reactions — A Descriptive Analysis

Abstract

Introduction: Adverse drug reaction (ADR) is the undesirable effect of medicine that occurs beyond its known therapeutic effects. It is a common clinical problem while treating a patient. In many cases, antibiotics have been reported to be major causes of ADRs. This study aimed to assess the adverse drug reactions that are related to antibiotics.

Methods and materials: This observational study was conducted at the Department of Pharmacology, Dhaka Medical College, Bangladesh, from July 2019 to June 2020. A total of 600 patients were selected by purposive sampling technique as per inclusion and exclusion criteria. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Analysis of data was carried out by using a statistical package for social science (SPSS) 22.0 for Windows.

Result: Out of 600 patients, adverse drug reaction was detected in 16 (2.7%) patients, and among these 16 patients, 11 (68.80%) patients developed ADR by antibiotics. Among the 11 antibiotic-related ADR patients, 4 (36.37%) occurred due to cotrimoxazole, 3(27.28%) vancomycin, 2 (18.18%) ciprofloxacin, 1 (9.09%) ceftriaxone, and 1 (9.09%) amikacin. The predominant body system affected by ADRs was dermatology (8, 50%). It was observed that 81.3% of ADR cases were prescribed with polypharmacy

Conclusion: This study concludes that some antibiotics especially cotrimoxazole possess several adverse reactions. Therefore, they must be routinely encountered and anticipated. Moreover, when possible, the physician should employ the fewest number of antibiotics necessary and choose those least likely to interact with other drugs.