One of the major causes of undesirable effects and fatalities in regards to the use of drugs in treatment of diseases is the event of adverse drug reactions in hypersensitive patients. Many drugs which are currently in the market have contra-indications, i.e. a set of circumstances under which a particular drug should not be administered to a patient. The presence of potential adverse drug reactions involving the use of common drugs is rather alarming. Aspirin, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drug and analgesic for instance, can sometimes cause various side effects like gastro-intestinal irritations and the precipitation of an asthmatic attack in susceptible individuals.
Unfortunately in individuals who are glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient, aspirin which is normally quite safe to administer have recently been regarded as potentially haemolytic. 3.In a review done in Algeria, it was found that ingestion of aspirin even in low doses of 400mg by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient patients preceded the haemolytic episodes in 2 cases out of 40. 14.This is open to much debate though. Numerous other studies have pointed out that when a haemolytic episode does occur in these patients, it is almost surely associated with an infection and fever. 3.The same controversy surrounds another commonly used drug acetaminophen which also may cause episodes of haemolysis in some types of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiencies. 3. 15.Beutlar, one of the leading researchers on this disease maintains however that the use of acetaminophen is safe even for patients with the more severe forms of the deficiency. 16.
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Prepared on 01 Jan 2008 by teekoonhien |
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