Potentially hazardous co-prescribing of beta-adrenoceptor antagonists and agonists in the community.
AUTOR(ES)
Evans, J M
RESUMO
AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the co-prescribing of beta-antagonists and beta-agonists in the community, and to assess the potential hazards of such co-prescribing. METHODS: The study was set in the population of Tayside, Scotland (population approximately 400,000), between January 1993 and March 1993. An automated person-specific prescribing database was used, which could also be linked to hospital admissions. Patients who were co-prescribed beta-antagonists and beta-agonists on the same day or within 30 days were selected. A model was used to identify those who showed an asthmatic profile, on the basis of age, and previous prescribing and hospitalization history, and for whom the co-prescribing was judged to be particularly hazardous. RESULTS: Altogether, 0.9% of 15824 patients who received a beta-antagonist during the study period received a beta-agonist on the same day. This figure increased to 274 (1.7%) for 30-day co-prescription. A few instances of particularly hazardous co-prescribing were identified, which involved young people who had previously received prescriptions for corticosteroids and been hospitalized for asthma. CONCLUSION: Potentially hazardous co-prescribing of beta-agonists and beta-antagonists occurs despite labelled warnings, even in patients who appear to be at high risk. These events are quite rare but probably should not occur at all.
ACESSO AO ARTIGO
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1239696Documentos Relacionados
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