US study finds 700,000 adverse effects cases

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has found that an estimated 701,547 people each year visit Emergency Departments because of adverse reactions to drugs or supplements.

The most common causes of adverse reactions were accidental overdoses or allergic reactions, the former of which typically involved either: insulins for diabetes; opiate-containing painkillers; or bloodthinners. Drugs most commonly involved in allergic reactions were antibiotics containing amoxicillin and anti-histamines, as well as over-the-counter cold remedies. Emergency patients in these cases were twice as likely to be over 65 than younger and seven times more likely to require a hospital stay.

The data were compiled from 63 representative hospitals across the USA that reported 21,298 adverse drug reactions in emergency patients.