Current drug safetyPub Date : 2024-01-01DOI: 10.2174/1574886318666230816090606
Sana Shaikh, Asawari Raut, Prajkta Jambhale, Shivkumar Iyer, Jignesh Shah
{"title":"Incidence and Severity of Adverse Drug Reactions in Medical Intensive Care Unit.","authors":"Sana Shaikh, Asawari Raut, Prajkta Jambhale, Shivkumar Iyer, Jignesh Shah","doi":"10.2174/1574886318666230816090606","DOIUrl":"10.2174/1574886318666230816090606","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) curtail patients' quality of life by virtue of increasing therapeutic complexity and rising multimorbidity. In India, the frequency of ADRs for individual drugs and their economic burdens are rarely evaluated. This study aimed at identifying the incidence and severity of ADRs leading to hospitalization (ADRA) and occurring during a hospital stay (ADRH).</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The objective of this study is to evaluate the incidence the incidence and severity of ADRs in the ICU and their impact on the duration of hospitalization, along with the cost incurred to treat ADRs in the ICU.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Demographic, clinical, and pharmacological data on patients admitted to the ICU were collected, analyzed and evaluated for ADRs. According to the setting analyzed, a descriptive analysis of the reactions, suspected medicines, and associated factors was undertaken.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 208 patients were admitted to the ICU during the study period, of which ADRA contributed 9.1% of the incidence rate and 8.1% of ADRH in 36 patients. Males had a higher incidence of ADRs than females. Patients who had ADRs had a substantially longer length of stay than those who did not. Electrolyte disturbance was the most commonly found ADR. According to the Hartwig scale and WHO-causality scale, 88.9% were moderate, and 97.2% were possible ADRs, respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In this study, a similar incidence rate of ADRA and ADRH was observed. The average cost for treating ADRA was higher than that for treating ADRH. As a result, identifying and preventing these reactions is critical, as they cause the patient greater suffering.</p>","PeriodicalId":10777,"journal":{"name":"Current drug safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10014614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Current drug safetyPub Date : 2024-01-01DOI: 10.2174/1574886318666230725113855
Roopali Mahajan, Jayantee Kalita
{"title":"Tizanidine Induced Hypotension: Report of a Case and Review of the Literature.","authors":"Roopali Mahajan, Jayantee Kalita","doi":"10.2174/1574886318666230725113855","DOIUrl":"10.2174/1574886318666230725113855","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Spasticity is a common sequelae of stroke, and often these patients receive anti-spastic drugs such as baclofen or tizanidine. Stroke patients have multiple co-morbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, and seizure. Tizanidine is an α2 and imidazole receptor agonist at a spinal and supraspinal level resulting in reduced central sympathetic outflow and causing hypotension rarely, especially in those receiving beta-blockers or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.</p><p><strong>Case presentation: </strong>We report a 56-year-old hypertensive male presenting with altered sensorium who had recurrent intracerebral hemorrhage with left spastic hemiplegia and focal seizures. He was on amlodipine, atenolol, telmisartan and oxcarbazepine. After 3 doses of tizanidine 2mg, his blood pressure dropped from 140/90 to 80/40 mmHg and pulse from 82 bpm to 44 bpm. His blood counts, serum chemistry, procalcitonin, and Trop I were normal. ECG revealed sinus bradycardia. After 8 hours of withdrawing tizanidine, his blood pressure became 110/70 mmHg, and on the next day, it became 140/82 mmHg. His attendants were taught physiotherapy to minimize spasticity.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This patient highlights the need for close monitoring of patients receiving tizanidine co-medication with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers. These drugs have a synergistic effect on reducing the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, thereby hypotension and bradycardia.</p>","PeriodicalId":10777,"journal":{"name":"Current drug safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10368362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Penicillamine-induced Stevens Johnson Syndrome-toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (SJS-TEN) Overlap in an HIV-infected Patient with Wilson's Disease and Hepatitis B.","authors":"Namrata Chhabra, Papireddy Shivareddy Meghana Reddy, Ayush Bhatnagar, Satyaki Ganguly","doi":"10.2174/1574886318666230525102008","DOIUrl":"10.2174/1574886318666230525102008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are severe adverse drug reactions characterized by widespread blistering and mucositis. Wilson's disease is a rare, autosomal recessive disorder that results in excessive copper accumulation in the body, where penicillamine is an effective treatment option for copper chelation. Penicillamineinduced SJS-TEN is a rare but potentially fatal adverse effect. There is increased susceptibility to SJS/TEN in HIV infection due to immunosuppression and chronic liver disease due to impaired hepatic function.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To diagnose and manage the occurrence of the rare severe adverse cutaneous drug reactions in the backdrop of immunosuppression and chronic liver disease.</p><p><strong>Case report: </strong>We are reporting penicillamine-induced SJS-TEN overlap in a 30-year-old male with Wilson's disease, HIV and Hepatitis B who was treated with intravenous immunoglobulins. The patient later developed neurotrophic ulcer in the right cornea as a delayed sequela.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our case report emphasizes that there is an increased predisposition to SJS/TEN in immunocompromised and chronic liver disease patients. Physicians should be well aware of the potential danger of SJS/TEN in this subset of patients, even while prescribing a relatively safer drug.</p>","PeriodicalId":10777,"journal":{"name":"Current drug safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9524148","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Current drug safetyPub Date : 2024-01-01DOI: 10.2174/1574886318666230503113713
Badreddine Moukafih, Leila Belaroussi, Sanae Achour, Abdeslam El Kartouti
{"title":"Side Effects Reported by Moroccan Medical Students Who Received COVID-19 Vaccines.","authors":"Badreddine Moukafih, Leila Belaroussi, Sanae Achour, Abdeslam El Kartouti","doi":"10.2174/1574886318666230503113713","DOIUrl":"10.2174/1574886318666230503113713","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Low confidence in the safety of COVID-19 vaccines was found to be a key promoter of vaccine reluctance especially among youth. Furthermore, young adults are an important demographic for building herd immunity through vaccination. As a result, their reactions to getting COVID-19 vaccines are crucial in our fight against SARS-CoV-2.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The overall goal of this study was to look into the shortterm side effects experienced by Moroccan medical and pharmacy students after receiving COVID-19 vaccines.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional survey-based study to assess the COVID-19 vaccines' short-term AEFIs among Moroccan medical and pharmacy students. The validated questionnaire was delivered in a digital form to explore the side effects (SE) they encountered after the first or the second dose of one of three vaccines namely: AstraZeneca Vaxzevria, PfizerBioNTeck, and SinoPharm vaccines.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There were 510 students in total who took part. After the first and second doses, approximately 72 percent and 78 percent of subjects, respectively, reported no SE. The remainder had localized injection site side effects (26%). Fatigue (21%), fever (19%), headache (17%), and myalgia (16%) were the most common systemic adverse effects after the first dose. There were no serious SEs reported.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The majority of the reported AEFIs in our data were mild to moderate in intensity and lasted only one or two days. COVID-19 vaccinations are highly likely safe for young adults, according to the findings of this study.</p>","PeriodicalId":10777,"journal":{"name":"Current drug safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9774302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Current drug safetyPub Date : 2024-01-01DOI: 10.2174/0115748863276447231108092936
Sourabh Raghuvanshi, Mohammad Akhlaquer Rahman, Mahesh Kumar Posa, Anoop Kumar
{"title":"Identification of Novel Signals Associated with US-FDA Approved Drugs (2013) Using Disproportionality Analysis.","authors":"Sourabh Raghuvanshi, Mohammad Akhlaquer Rahman, Mahesh Kumar Posa, Anoop Kumar","doi":"10.2174/0115748863276447231108092936","DOIUrl":"10.2174/0115748863276447231108092936","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Drugs are related with various adverse drug reactions (ADRs), however, many unexpected ADRs of drugs are reported through post-marketing surveillance.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>The current study's goal is to uncover potential signals connected with FDA-approved medications in the United States (2013).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Open Vigil 2.1-MedDRA-v24 (data 20004Q1-2021Q3) was used as a tool to query the FAERS data. To find possible signals, disproportionality measures such as Proportional Reporting Ratio (PRR 2) with associated Chi-square value, Reporting Odds Ratio (ROR 2) with 95% confidence interval, and case count (3) were calculated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of eight potential signals were identified with five drugs. Positive signals were found with pomalidomide, canagliflozin, dolutegravir sodium, macitentan and ibrutinib.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>However, further causality assessment is required to confirm the association of these drugs with identified potential signals.</p>","PeriodicalId":10777,"journal":{"name":"Current drug safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138290574","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Unveiling the Latest Breakthroughs: A Comprehensive Review of the Therapeutic Activity and Safety Profile of <i>Aloe vera</i>.","authors":"Alimuddin Saifi, Alok Sharma, Anurag Chaudhary, Nazia Siddiqui, Vrish Dhwaj Ashwlayan, Bhuwanendra Singh","doi":"10.2174/0115748863274759231221093309","DOIUrl":"10.2174/0115748863274759231221093309","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The use of herbal drugs as alternative and complementary medicine has increased in popularity, raising concerns about their safety profile. Aloe vera, a plant with diverse therapeutic properties, has been extensively used for centuries. This review aims to assess the therapeutic activity and safety profile of <i>Aloe vera</i>. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to gather relevant information from various biomedical databases. The chemical composition, mechanism of action, and therapeutic activities of <i>Aloe vera</i> were analyzed. Aloe vera contains numerous active components such as vitamins, enzymes, minerals, sugars, lignin, saponins, and anthraquinones. Its mechanisms of action involve collagen synthesis, anti-inflammatory effects, immune modulation, laxative properties, and antiviral activity. <i>Aloe vera</i> has demonstrated potential therapeutic benefits in wound healing, diabetes management, liver and kidney protection, and glycemic control. However, it is essential to consider potential side effects, such as skin irritation and allergic reactions. This review provides evidence-based information to improve patient safety and promote informed decisions regarding the use of <i>Aloe vera</i> as a therapeutic agent.</p>","PeriodicalId":10777,"journal":{"name":"Current drug safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139416597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Current drug safetyPub Date : 2024-01-01DOI: 10.2174/1574886318666230911144912
Ashitha George Joseph, Santra Saji, Anagha Nivrutti Kumbhar, G Shivakumar, Ramesh Bhandari, M S Ganachari
{"title":"Pharmacists' Medication Reconciliation Interventions During Admission and Transfer from an Emergency Department at a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Randomized Pilot Study and Evaluation of Physician and Patient Perceptions.","authors":"Ashitha George Joseph, Santra Saji, Anagha Nivrutti Kumbhar, G Shivakumar, Ramesh Bhandari, M S Ganachari","doi":"10.2174/1574886318666230911144912","DOIUrl":"10.2174/1574886318666230911144912","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>The study aimed to assess the impact of pharmacist interventions during the transition of care.</p><p><strong>Background: </strong>Medication discrepancies can occur at various levels of transition, such as during admission, the transition from emergency to special wards or from special to general wards, and during discharge. Discrepancies can be detected through the process of medication reconciliation.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The objective of the study was to compare discrepancies among patients exposed to pharmacist intervention groups and those who were not and assess the perception of healthcare professionals and patients towards integrating pharmacists in the transition care process.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A pharmacist-led interventional study was conducted for six months on patients above 18 years of age and either sex who were admitted to the emergency department, had chronic diseases, and subsequently transferred to another department (any). The patients were randomized into intervention and control groups. The pharmacist performed a medication reconciliation and medication review to identify discrepancies in every transition in both the groups, and then reported to the treating physician to resolve in the intervention group.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among the 73 patients recruited in the study, 152 discrepancies were identified. The total discrepancies observed in the control and intervention groups were 78 (51.3%) and 74 (48.6%), respectively. The majority, 35.53%, were found during the transition from emergency to special wards. The physician, upon pharmacist recommendations, accepted and resolved 48 discrepancies in the intervention group. The healthcare professional acceptance rate of pharmacist interventions was 64.86%.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The transitions of care are at risk for errors due to medication discrepancies, and pharmacists could potentially identify and resolve discrepancies. Healthcare professionals and patients reported to be satisfied by the involvement of clinical pharmacists in the healthcare team.</p>","PeriodicalId":10777,"journal":{"name":"Current drug safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10215338","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Current drug safetyPub Date : 2024-01-01DOI: 10.2174/1574886318666230726124540
Mohamed Ben-Eltriki, Manik Chhabra, Alan Cassels, James M Wright
{"title":"Inappropriate Use of Proton Pump Inhibitor Among Elderly Patients in British Columbia: What are the Long-term Adverse Events?","authors":"Mohamed Ben-Eltriki, Manik Chhabra, Alan Cassels, James M Wright","doi":"10.2174/1574886318666230726124540","DOIUrl":"10.2174/1574886318666230726124540","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are one of the most used classes of drugs. For most indications, PPIs are only recommended up to 8 weeks duration. However, PPI use continues to expand. Regular and prolonged use of PPIs should be avoided because of the risk of adverse events.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The main objective of this study was to (1) investigate the extent of PPI usage in people aged 65 or older in the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada, (2) provide an overview of the harms associated with the long-term use of PPIs.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We examined utilization trends of the PPIs in BC since the year 2009 using PharmaNet, BC's medication dispensing database where the information is accessible to community pharmacists. We performed a comprehensive literature search for relevant reviews reporting harms associated with long-term use of PPIs. A search was conducted from January 2014 to June 2022.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Between 2000 and 2018 BC's population grew by 20%, but the use of PPIs escalated to 257%. Of these older British Columbians, 62% had a cumulative exposure exceeding 2 years and 42% exceeded 5 years. This is alarming because the recommended treatment duration is 4-12 weeks for common indications including reflux esophagitis, and duodenal and gastric ulcers. Only 13.5% were dispensed PPIs for 90 days or less. Patients on long-term PPI therapy should be reassessed. Adverse events of PPI use are common among older adults. We identified over 217 systematic reviews published during the last 8 years of specific harms associated with long-term daily usage of PPIs. These harms include increased risks of death, cardiovascular disease, acute renal injury, chronic kidney disease, dementia, fractures, hypomagnesemia, iron deficiency, vitamin B12 deficiency, enteric infection (including <i>C. difficile</i>), pneumonia, and neoplasia (gastric cancer, carcinoids, and colon cancer), and drug interactions.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study revealed a high prevalence of PPI use among elderly populations in BC, Canada. The overutilization of PPIs is often a result of failure to re-evaluate the need for continuation of therapy. Published studies identified signals of serious harm from long-term PPI exposure. Healthcare providers with patients can reverse the relentless expansion of long-term PPI exposure by discussing the expected benefits and potential harms.</p>","PeriodicalId":10777,"journal":{"name":"Current drug safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10788903/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9986879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Current drug safetyPub Date : 2024-01-01DOI: 10.2174/0115748863267262231025052412
Saeed Mehrzadi, Asieh Hosseini, Azam Hosseinzadeh
{"title":"Evaluating the Protective Effect of Melatonin on Atorvastatin-induced Mitochondrial Toxicity in Pancreatic Beta Cells.","authors":"Saeed Mehrzadi, Asieh Hosseini, Azam Hosseinzadeh","doi":"10.2174/0115748863267262231025052412","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2174/0115748863267262231025052412","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Atorvastatin and other statins belong to a category of cholesterollowering drugs, which may cause some damage to pancreatic cells despite their effectiveness.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>The present study investigated the effects of melatonin against atorvastatin-induced toxicity on islets of Langerhans and CRI-D2 cells.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The MTT assay was used to determine cell viability. The effect of various concentrations of melatonin (0,10, 50, 100, 250, 500 and 1000 μM) on CRI-D2 cell viability was evaluated for 24 hours to determine the non-cytotoxic concentrations of melatonin. Additionally, cells were treated with different concentrations of atorvastatin (10, 100, and 150 ng/mL) for 24 hours to determine a concentration that could induce the maximum cell death. After selecting the appropriate concentrations for melatonin, cells were treated with atorvastatin (10, 100, and 150 ng/ml) and melatonin (10 and 100 μM) simultaneously for a period of 24 hours. Malondialdehyde (MDA), reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activity were assessed as indicators of oxidative stress. To assess mitochondrial function, the ratio of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were measured.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Atorvastatin markedly raised ROS and MDA levels. This result was associated with a decrease in MMP, an increase in the ADP/ATP ratio, and a change in the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Atorvastatin (150 ng/mL)-induced mitochondrial damage was alleviated by concurrent melatonin and atorvastatin therapy.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These results suggest that melatonin has a protective effect against atorvastatininduced toxicity in the mitochondria of pancreatic cells.</p>","PeriodicalId":10777,"journal":{"name":"Current drug safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142072241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Current drug safetyPub Date : 2024-01-01DOI: 10.2174/0115748863272272231122114732
João R Mesquita, Sérgio Santos-Silva, Nanci Ferreira, Antonio Rivero-Juarez, Guilherme Gonçalves, Maria São José Nascimento
{"title":"Hepatitis E Virus in Individuals Undergoing Heparin Therapy: An Observational Serological and Molecular Study.","authors":"João R Mesquita, Sérgio Santos-Silva, Nanci Ferreira, Antonio Rivero-Juarez, Guilherme Gonçalves, Maria São José Nascimento","doi":"10.2174/0115748863272272231122114732","DOIUrl":"10.2174/0115748863272272231122114732","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Heparin is derived from swine and has been suggested as a possible source of HEV. To study the potential risk of HEV infection associated with heparin treatment, two groups of individuals were compared. Sera from heparinized (N=93) and non-heparinized individuals (N=111) were tested for markers of acute HEV infection and anti-HEV IgG seroprevalence.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An acute HEV case was defined by the presence of anti-HEV IgM and/or HEV RNA. From the 93 heparinized individuals, one was positive for IgM and IgG anti-HEV and two were positive for HEV RNA (for both ORF3 and ORF2), and there were a total of two (2.2%) cases of current or recent HEV infection. From the 111 non-heparinized individuals, three were positive for IgM anti-HEV, one was positive for both IgM and IgG anti-HEV, and none was positive for HEV RNA, and there were a total of three (2.7%) cases of current or recent HEV infection. The difference between HEV cases in the heparinized individuals and the non-heparinized individuals was not statistically significant (2.2% vs. 2.7%; p = 0.799).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Concerning IgG anti-HEV, it was detected in 32 individuals from the heparinized group and in 18 from the non-heparinized control group. A statistically significant difference was observed in the presence of anti-HEV IgG in heparinized individuals and controls (p = 0.003).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study has not found any association between heparin treatment and acute HEV infection, but has shown the use of therapeutic heparin as a risk factor for IgG anti-HEV seropositivity.</p>","PeriodicalId":10777,"journal":{"name":"Current drug safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139416593","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}