Medication Toxic and Adverse Reaction Prevention and Treatment Handbook

Author: Jia Gongfu / Li Tao / Xu Li (Editor-in-Chief)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-08
Features: Drug adverse reactions can occur at any time and place. Preventing and reducing drug toxicity and adverse reactions is a common aspiration among medical personnel, patients, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. This book is written by renowned clinical pharmacology experts in China, citing extensive domestic and international literature to systematically introduce drug toxicity and adverse reactions. It covers fundamental concepts of drug damage, clinically used chemical preparations, traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), and proprietary Chinese medicine-induced adverse reactions, adverse reactions caused by drug interactions, prevention and treatment of drug overdose and poisoning, and more. It provides detailed descriptions of the clinical manifestations and prevention methods of drug toxicity and adverse reactions, emphasizing clinical feasibility. The book is comprehensive and highly practical, serving as an important reference for clinical engineers and pharmaceutical researchers.
[Preface]
Preface
Drug therapy is a crucial tool for preventing and treating diseases and improving health. However, people are often harmed by drug toxicity and adverse reactions. Rational drug use can enhance therapeutic efficacy and reduce adverse reactions, while irrational drug use may exacerbate such harm. An adverse drug event (ADE) refers to an unpredictable harmful outcome during medication use, with adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and medication errors being the most common. International literature reports that approximately 3% of emergency hospital admissions are due to ADRs. About 15–30% of hospitalized patients experience prolonged stays or even death due to ADRs. According to relevant authorities, around 190,000 people die in China each year from ADRs, with the number of drug-related deaths exceeding that of deaths from major infectious diseases by over 10 times. The incidence of ADRs in China accounts for 10–30% of hospitalized patients, and the incidence of drug-related diseases is on the rise. For example, the percentage of preschool children who become deaf or mute due to drugs was only 2% in the 1950s, 7% in the 1960s, 18% in the 1970s, 36% in the 1980s, and exceeded one million by the 1990s due to drug-induced deafness or mutism.
The direct causes of drug toxicity and adverse reactions include drug quality issues, irrational drug use, and individual factors among medication users. However, the underlying causes are complex, involving social issues (e.g., drug abuse, chaotic drug management), cultural traditions (e.g., "food and medicine are the same"), medical ethics, and patients' pharmaceutical knowledge levels, as well as non-negligible cognitive issues. Many medical personnel, patients, and their families hold a one-sided view of drugs, believing they are harmless. This misconception, especially regarding the lack of toxicity and adverse reactions in TCMs, has become a common pitfall for most medication users. A lack of understanding of adverse reactions and drug interactions is one of the primary reasons for irrational drug use. Currently, drug toxicity and adverse reactions have become a global public hazard, potentially causing immense, sometimes catastrophic, and irreparable losses to families and society. Based on this awareness, we compiled this book based on domestic and international research and clinical reports to meet the clinical needs of medical personnel.
The book covers drug toxicity and adverse reactions, including fundamental concepts of drug damage, adverse reactions caused by commonly used chemical preparations, TCMs, and proprietary Chinese medicines, adverse reactions caused by drug interactions, and prevention and treatment of drug overdose and poisoning. The focus is on the clinical manifestations and prevention of drug toxicity and adverse reactions. In drug interactions, it includes interactions between chemical drugs, between TCMs, and between chemical drugs and TCMs, all of which can lead to adverse reactions. Notably, drug interactions that cause adverse reactions are marked with a "-", while those that are beneficial but may also cause adverse reactions are marked with a "±" for reference. The drug toxicity and adverse reactions described in this book are based on reviews of domestic and international literature reports and do not refer to any specific commercial drug. Therefore, the drug toxicity and adverse reactions described in this book differ from legally mandated drug instructions and have no legal force. They cannot be used to describe the adverse reactions of a specific commercial drug. In other words, the drug toxicity and adverse reactions described in this book refer to the potential adverse reactions of a certain drug (which may involve dozens of varieties and hundreds of manufacturers), and it cannot be assumed that a specific commercial drug will necessarily cause a certain adverse reaction.
Drug toxicity and adverse reactions can occur at any time and place. Preventing and reducing drug toxicity and adverse reactions is a shared aspiration among medical personnel, patients, and pharmaceutical manufacturers, and also the purpose of compiling this book.