A Prospective Study on Pattern of Adverse Drug Reactions to Antibiotics Commonly Prescribed In General Medicine Department of Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) are an important cause of mortality and morbidity and constitute an enormous burden on the society. Many studies have implicated that the antibiotics are among the major group of drugs, which cause adverse drug reactions (ADRs). A prospective observational study was carried out in the Department of General Medicine in a 1000-bedded tertiary care teaching hospital and the The data for the study were taken from case sheets, investigation reports of patients. The causality assessment of the reported ADRs was carried out using the WHO causality assessment scale. In the WHO causality assessment scale, the drug reaction can be classified as certain, probable, possible, unlikely, and unclassified. 1025 patients were included from general medicine department. The incidence rate of antibiotic Adverse Drug Reactions was found to be 0.6%. A total of 157 ADRs were collected, tabulated in CDSCO forms, analyzed and assessed on WHO causality assessment scale. Maximum ADRs were reported with cephalosporins (ceftriaxone, cifotaxim, cefixim) 50 (32%) followed by Quinolones (Ofloxacin, Levofloxacin) 20(32%), Penicillins 28(18%), Aminoglycosides (Amikacin, Streptomycin, 19(12%), Macrolides (Azithromycin) 12(8%), and others16 (10%). The WHO causality assessment scale was proved that 19% of ADRs are certain, 42% were probable, 29% were possible and 10% comes under unlikely and unclassified. The mortality rate was 3%, 23% patients needed prolonged hospital stay, and remaining patients recovered immediately. Early detection, evaluation and monitoring of ADR are essential to reduce harm to patients and thus improve public health.