Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences
 

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POTENTIALLY CLINICALLY RELEVANT DRUG INTERACTIONS IN POST-STROKE REHABILITATION PATIENTS: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

MILENA KOVAČEVIĆ 1, GORDANA LJUBOJEVIĆ 1,2*, TATJANA BUĆMA 3, SANDRA VEZMAR KOVAČEVIĆ 1, GORAN TALIĆ 4, NATAŠA TOMIĆ 4, SNJEŽANA NOVAKOVIĆ-BURSAĆ 4, BRANISLAVA MILJKOVIĆ 1

1 Department of Pharmacokinetic and Clinical Pharmacy, University of Belgrade - Faculty of Pharmacy, Belgrade, Republic of Serbia
2 Department of Hospital Pharmacy, Institute for Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Surgery "Dr Miroslav Zotović" Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
3 Department of Neurorehabilitation, Institute for Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Surgery "Dr Miroslav Zotović" Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
4 Management, Institute for Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Surgery "Dr Miroslav Zotović" Banja Luka,
Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Post-stroke rehabilitation patients require complex pharmacotherapy, increasing their risk of potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs). The study aimed to assess the prevalence, types, and predictors of clinically relevant pDDIs in post-stroke patients during rehabilitation. This prospective observational study was conducted at the Institute for Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation, and Orthopaedic Surgery. Clinically relevant pDDIs were identified using Lexi-Drugs. The study included 217 post-stroke rehabilitation patients (86.2% ischaemic stroke). At least one clinically relevant pDDI was present in 96.3% of ischaemic and 76.7% of haemorrhagic stroke patients (p < 0.001). Ischaemic stroke history was an independent predictor for higher pDDI risk (OR 5.3; p < 0.05). The study revealed a high prevalence of potentially clinically relevant pDDIs in post-stroke rehabilitation patients, particularly among those with ischaemic stroke. Additionally, comorbidities such as pneumonia or constipation in- creased the risk of pDDIs occurrence. Given the complexity of post-stroke pharmacotherapy, systematic screening and man- agement strategies are crucial to minimise the risk of preventable adverse drug interactions and improve rehabilitation out-comes.