Adverse drug reactions predisposing factors

Observational studies of adverse drug reactions identified two clinical factors that appeared to predispose to a high frequency of adverse drug reactions. These were the total number of different drugs the patient was taking and the presence of preexisting kidney failure. 

It illustrates the role and possibly the requirement for various predisposing factors in the development of an adverse drug reaction in a human population. An understanding of this should allow reduction of such adverse drug reactions by improved surveillance and prescription. 

Adverse drug reactions are of significant concern in the pharmaceutical technology arena. Various drug and patient factors that predispose to ADRs have been identified. Reporting systems used to screen and assess ADRs facilitate the understanding of risk factors and contribute to the development of systematic improvement in the prevention of ADRs. 

Important general predisposing factors to adverse reactions include an excessive amount of the drug due to non-individualised dosage, altered responsiveness to drugs at extremes of age, previous history of allergy or reaction to drugs. 

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