Adverse Drug Reactions Flashcards
1
Q
What is an adverse drug reaction (ADR)?
A
any response to a drug which is noxious or unintended that occurs in doses used for prophylaxis/diagnosis/treatment
2
Q
How are ADRs classified in terms of severity?
A
- mild (bothersome but no treatment change necessary)
- moderate (requires therapy change/additional treatment/hospitalisation)
- severe (disabling or life threatening)
3
Q
How are ADRs classified in terms of onset?
A
- acute (within 60mins, bronchoconstriction)
- sub-acute (1-24hrs. rash and serum sickness)
- latent (>2 days, eczematous eruptions)
4
Q
What is a type A ADR?
A
- dose related and predictable
- due to excess pharmacological action
- resolve upon reducing/stopping treatment
- primary or secondary (nothing to do with drug’s therapeutic effect)
5
Q
Type B?
A
- bizarre/unpredictable/unrelated to dose)
- unidentified for long periods
- not readily reversed
- rash/asthma/serum sickness
- common in macromolecules (proteins/vaccines)
- immunological mechanism (hypersensitivity)
- genetic mechanism (G6P dehydrogenase deficiency in RBCs)
6
Q
Type C?
A
- chronic
- related to duration and dose (not after a single dose…)
- semi-predictable; Iatrogenic Cushing’s disease
7
Q
Type D?
A
- delayed
- after treatment in patient’s children or themselves after a long period
- teratogenesis/carcinogenesis
- e.g. the effect of thalidomide on foetus)
8
Q
Type E?
A
- end of treatment
- when a drug is stopped suddenly
- e.g. angina/Addisonian crisis (loss of adrenal function)
9
Q
Type F?
A
- failure of treatment
- dose related (too low)
- caused by drug interactions
