Adverse drug reactions as cause of admission to hospital: Alcohol and other non-prescribed drugs may have impact on adverse drug reactions

EDITOR—Adverse drug reactions are an important topic for all clinicians. Pirmohamed et al report an observational study of adverse drug reactions in two large hospitals.1 However, important clarifications are required about the method and reporting of this study. Three issues affect interpretation in ways that are important to practising clinicians, who need to be alerted to problems when prescribing.

The authors …