Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in patients with previous history of chronic alcohol consumption without signs of chronic hepatic damage. A prospective study.

An intensive and prospective drug surveillance method was used to monitor 105 hospitalized patients having a previous history of chronic alcohol consumption without signs of hepatic damage at the Dr. Sotero del Rio hospital, Santiago, Chile. The aim of the work was to characterize and study the incidence of ADRs associated with chronic alcohol addiction in patients hospitalized for different pathological conditions. The incidence of ADRs in this group (41.9%) was slightly higher than those from other studies carried out in our country in patients hospitalized in the internal medicine service from other Chilean hospitals. However, alcohol addiction was not considered in these studies. According to causality, 58.8% of the ADRs were regarded as probable, 6.9% as definite and 34.3% as possible. The severity of ADRs was determined as 18.6% mild, 53.9% moderate and 27.5% as severe events. These ADRs were manifested in a dose-related fashion (80.4%). Furosemide, heparin, and gentamicin were the drugs mainly associated with ADRs. The most commonly affected system were metabolic (33.3%), renal (19.6%), and gastrointestinal (19.6%). There was a higher incidence of ADRs in those patients with longer stay at the hospital, in patients on multiple-drug therapy, and in patients with impaired renal function. The frequency of ADRs was not related to age, sex, and pattern of alcohol consumption.