drug adverse effect(s)

Etiology

risk factors

age > 85 years
low BMI
>= 6 chronic diagnoses
estimated creatinine clearance of < 50 mL/min
>= 9 medications
>= 12 medication doses/day
prior adverse drug effect^[1]
hospital discharge of older adults (20%)^[2]
- 1/3 considered preventable
- 17% involve drugs on Beer's list^[2]

elderly at 2-fold risk, 7-fold risk of hospitalization
4 medications account for 2/3 of hospitalizations^[3]
- warfarin (33%)
- insulin (14%)
- antiplatelet agents (13%)
- oral hypoglycemic agents (11%)
most commonly implicated drugs leading to emergency department visits by age^[4]
- > 64 years: anticoagulants, clopidogrel, insulin
- 45-64 years: insulin & warfarin
- 25-44 years: alprozolam & insulin
- 15-24 years: alprozolam & ibuprofen^[4]
low visual acuity & low health literacy increase risk for drug dosing errors & other unintentianal misuse of drugs^[5]

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