Assessment of Adverse Drug Reactions in Patients on Cardiovascular Drugs: A Prospective Study

Objective: To quantify ADRs in patients on cardiovascular drugs and to assess their severity. Materials and Methods: Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 265 inpatients on cardiovascular drugs from a tertiary care center were included in this prospective study. All patients were assessed for occurrence of ADR and followed up till the recovery of the ADR. Causality assessment of ADR was done, severity of ADR was graded, and preventability of ADR was assessed. Results: In the present study, descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Out of 265 patients screened, 137 (51.69%) had 245 ADRs. About 175 (71%) ADRs were due to antihypertensives, 175 (71%). On causality assessment of these ADRs, 230 (94%) were found to be possible and 15 (6%) probable. Two hundred and nine (85%) ADRs were mild, 34 (14%) were moderate, and 2 (1%) were severe. The most common ADR encountered in the study was giddiness due to various classes of antihypertensives in 26% about patients. Conclusions: Among the cardiovascular system drugs, antihypertensives were the most common group of drugs to cause giddiness as ADR. Majority of the ADRs had a score of “possible” because of concomitant medications.