[Female sex as a risk factor for adverse drug reactions]

Females have nearly a two-fold greater risk of developing adverse drug reactions(ADRs) than males and they are also more likely to be hospitalized due to ADR. For all drug classes, significant differences exist between the sexes, including class-specific risks and the incidence and/or severity of ADR. We herein present our results regarding the surveillance of ADR in the general population and a questionnaire-based study carried out by the Japan Pharmaceutical Association Drug Event Monitoring Project in Kumamoto Prefecture. Our findings indicate that females are prone to ADR and that high-risk agents for this population should be identified and these subjects closely monitored based on the patient characteristics.