Adverse drug reactions occur when someone experiences a toxic physical or psychological reaction to a medication. In adults, adverse drug reactions cost between $1.6 to 4.2 billion each year. But according to researchers from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona and Miller Children's Hospital in Long Beach, both in California, adverse drug reactions in children occur rarely and are often not severe.
Researchers at a California children's hospital identified all adverse drug reactions that occurred in patients between January 1995 and December 2004. They noted the type of drug, the parts of the body affected, the severity of the child's reaction, and how the reaction was reported in hospital records. Medical errors, drug abuse cases, and accidental poisonings weren't included in the study results.
Over this 10-year period, only 1,087 adverse drug reactions were reported in kids. From 2001 to 2004, for every 1,000 orders of medication, about 1.2 to 1.8 adverse drug reactions occurred. Eighty-nine percent of adverse drug reactions were low severity, and doctors or pharmacists simply changed the dosage of the drug or discontinued treatment because of the reaction. The most common drugs associated with adverse drug reactions included antibiotics, narcotic pain medications, anticonvulsant medications, and antianxiety drugs.
More severe reactions were significantly more common:
- when children were undergoing surgery
- with certain types of drugs, such as anticonvulsant and antineoplastic agents (chemotherapy drugs that interfere with the growth of tumor cells)
Most adverse drug reactions occurred within a day of administering the medication.
What This Means to You. Adverse drug reactions do occur in kids; however, they're uncommon, tend to not be severe, and are more common with certain types of medication, according to the results of this study. Make sure that doctor's office and hospital staff are aware of any medical allergies your child has. Your doctor may also recommend that your child wear a special medical alert bracelet.
Source: Jennifer Le, PharmD; Thuy Nguyen, PharmD; Anandi V. Law, PhD; Jane Hodding, PharmD; Pediatrics, August 2006.
Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: August 2006
