[Disease states and changes in drug pharmacokinetics]

Given that pharmacokinetic data are mostly derived from studies in animals and healthy subjects, the authors highlight how diseases can modify one or more of its phases: absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination (ADME). Although theoretically all diseases can modify these phases, the authors believe it worth and relevant to focus the discussion on major diseases for which information is available and which are frequent in the population and with the potential to affect more phases, i.e. cardiac, hepatic and renal failure. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to update the data available and to remind that the incidence of adverse reactions to drugs due to changes in their pharmacokinetics is frequent and often serious in these diseases.