the information. If this relationship is undermined by the type of behaviour described by Dr Griffin it is difficult to see the advantages of disclosing doctors' identities. The department's medical staff do follow up a number ofreports, and this is done with due regard for the pressures on reporting doctors and the complex confidentiality and legal issues inherent in adverse reaction reporting...

The article by John Cappola et al (Chest 1989; 95:1309-15) states that randomized studies assessing the efficacy of coronary artery bypass surgery in acute myocardial infarction are not available. We wish to draw their attention to our article, “Urgent Surgical Reperfusion in Acute Evolving Myocardial Infarction; a Randomized Controlled Study” published in Circulation 1988; 79(3):I17178. This w...

Etofenamate is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Clinical findings caused by etofenamate are uncommon. Allergic contact dermatitis is the most common cutaneous reaction reported. But petechial eruption due to etofenamate had not been reported yet. This report concerns an 11-year old male with petechial eruption after application of topical etofenamate. Physicians need to be aware ...

The case of an elderly woman is reported in whom alendronate, given for osteoporosis, led to severe hypocalcaemia a few days after starting the drug treatment. This was caused by the unmasking of previously unrecognised hypoparathyroidism. (Postgrad Med J 2000;76:417–419)

The case referred to in Dr Chaudhry’s letter to the editor is interesting in view of the time after insertion and the nature of the breakdown in the overlying skin. While contamination is likely at the time of insertion of an implant, one would expect this to cause infection early and without an apparent symptom-free latent period. It is likely that the patient would have had some discomfort fr...

Children constitute a vulnerable group since a new drug gets released to the market without the benefit of even limited experience in them. Adequate controlled clinical trials in children, with the notable exceptions of pediatric oncology and vaccinations, are lacking because of ethical considerations. Only a vigilant postmarketing surveillance detects ADRs occurring uniquely in children, for e...

Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) is one of the most important issues in the assessment of drug safety. In fact, many adverse drug reactions are not discovered during limited pre-marketing clinical trials; instead, they are only observed after long term post-marketing surveillance of drug usage. In light of this, the detection of adverse drug reactions, as early as possible, is an important topic of ...

A case of colchicine induced rhabdomyolysis is reported. A 73 year old man with ischaemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation, chronic congestive cardiac failure, and chronic gout presented with diVuse muscle pain. He had been taking an increased dose of colchicine (1.5 mg daily) for an exacerbation of gout for six weeks before the presentation. Investigations confirmed the diagnosis of rhabdomy...

Case report The patient to be presented illustrates relapse of TB infection, in the context of significant comorbidities: chronic renal failure, uremic stage, in chronic hemodialysis program; primary hyperuricemia with urate nephropathy; stage II arterial hypertension with very high cardiovascular risk. In the absence of clinical, definite biological and morphological criteria, the diagnosis of...

Adverse drugs reactions (ADRs), put simply, are noxious, unintended, and undesirable effects that occur as a result of drug treatment at doses normally used in man for diagnosis, prophylaxis, and treatment. Although there are many terms indicating the harmful and undesirable effects of drug treatment, the term ‘adverse drug reaction’ describes them best. During the course of treatment, drugs pr...