Assessment of factors associated with potential drug-drug interactions in patients with tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS

• Published in: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Main Authors: Natália Helena de Resende, Silvana Spíndola de Miranda, Maria das Graças Braga Ceccato, Adriano Max Moreira Reis, João Paulo Amaral Haddad, Dirce Inês da Silva, Wânia da Silva Carvalho
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2021
• Subjects: Drug interaction; Antiretroviral therapy; Antitubercular agents; Tuberculosis; HIV; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/0037-8682-0103-2021; https://doaj.org/article/cba5ca520c5c45d997b6caab43f60bfa

Abstract INTRODUCTION: The concomitant use of antituberculosis and antiretroviral drugs, as well as drugs to treat other diseases, can cause drug-drug interactions. This study aimed to describe potential drug-drug interactions (pDDI) in patients with TB and HIV/AIDS co-infection, as well as to analyze possible associated factors. METHODS: This study was performed in a reference hospital for infectious and contagious diseases in the southeastern region of Brazil and evaluated adult patients co-infected with tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. A cross-sectional study was conducted in which sociodemographic, clinical, and pharmacotherapeutic characteristics were assessed. The pDDI were identified using the Drug-Reax software. Association analysis was performed using either a chi-squared test or a Fisher’s exact test. Correlation analysis was performed using the Spearman’s coefficient. RESULTS: The study included 81 patients, of whom 77 (95.1%) were exposed to pDDI. The most frequent interactions were between antituberculosis and antiretroviral drugs, which can cause therapeutic ineffectiveness and major adverse reactions. A positive correlation was established between the number of associated diseases, the number of drugs used, and the number of pDDI. An association was identified between contraindicated and moderate pDDI with excessive polypharmacy and hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: We found a high frequency of pDDI, especially among those hospitalized and those with excessive polypharmacy. These findings highlight the importance of pharmacists in the pharmacotherapeutic monitoring in these patients.