Drug Prescribing Pattern During Intranatal Period in a Secondary Care Hospital in South India

Background: During delivery, drugs being prescribed cause concerns due to their harmful effects on lactation as well as potential adverse reactions on the mother. This retrospective study was performed to evaluate the drug prescribing pattern during normal delivery in a secondary care hospital in India. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional retrospective study included 3 months of patient’s medical records. Results: A total of 2222 drugs, comprising 51 different types of drugs were prescribed to 313 mothers undergoing normal delivery. Most of these drugs are safe in lactation. Ten types of drugs would have been better avoided, but they possibly did not cause harm because of their limited short-term use only during the intranatal period. Conclusion: This study reflects a good, safe, and rational medication practice during normal delivery for various common ailments in a secondary care hospital and can be cited as an example for similar settings

Prevalence of Hepatotoxicity From Antituberculosis Therapy

Background: Antituberculosis (ATT) drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a common and serious adverse effect of tuberculosis (TB) treatment. This retrospective study was carried out to study the prevalence of DILI among patients who had received anti-TB medications and to study some of the known risk factors responsible for causing DILI. Materials and Methods: This longitudinal descriptive study was performed to evaluate cases of DILI with predefined criteria. Patients of all ages, diagnosed and treated for smear positive pulmonary TB from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2012 and those who came for regular follow-up were included in the study. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association of different risk factors and DILI. The confounders considered were age, sex, weight, body mass index, doses of drugs (fixed or per kg), ATT regimens (daily or intermittent), and treatment categories. Results: Of the 253 patients analyzed, 24 (9.48%) developed DILI. Associations of different risk factors were insignificant; including chronic alcohol consumption, hepatitis B infection, hepatitis C infection, HIV infection, and existing chronic TB. Conclusion: DILI was not significantly associated with known risk factors in our settings