4 Drugs Cause Most Adverse-Event Hospital Stays for Seniors

And who needs these drugs more than most?

Adverse drug events (ADEs) cause an estimated 100,000 emergency hospitalizations for seniors each year, yet two thirds involve just a handful of anticoagulants and diabetes medications, according to a study published in the November 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study, by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), singles out 4 drugs and drug classes — warfarin, oral antiplatelet medications, insulins, and oral hypoglycemic agents. Alone or together, they account for 67% of emergency ADE hospitalizations of adults 65 years and older.

Guess.