Colchicine intoxication in four elderly patients: how to prevent it?

In France, unlike other countries, the use of colchicine is preferred to other anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of gout. We report a case series of four elderly patients (range from 72 to 83 years of age) who presented with colchicine intoxication, all notified to the Basse-Normandie pharma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inLa revue de medecine interne Vol. 30; no. 9; p. 783
Main Authors Le Bellec, M-L, de la Gastine, B, Mosquet, B, Godde, F, Ze Bekolo, R, Gloro, R, Leterrier, C, Coquerel, A
Format Journal Article
LanguageFrench
Published France 01.09.2009
Subjects
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Colchicine - administration & dosage
Colchicine - poisoning
Female
France
Gout - drug therapy
Gout Suppressants - administration & dosage
Gout Suppressants - poisoning
Humans
Male
Poisoning - prevention & control
Polypharmacy
Product Surveillance, Postmarketing
Risk Factors
France
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Summary:In France, unlike other countries, the use of colchicine is preferred to other anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of gout. We report a case series of four elderly patients (range from 72 to 83 years of age) who presented with colchicine intoxication, all notified to the Basse-Normandie pharmacovigilance centre in 2007. For each patient, one or more risk factors were identified: renal failure, high initial dosage, absence of laboratory monitoring. It would be useful to establish specific guidelines for colchicine use in the elderly population.
ISSN:0248-8663
DOI:10.1016/j.revmed.2009.03.013