PHARMACEUTICAL CARE FOR PEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH CONGENITAL ZIKA VIRUS SYNDROME

Abstract

Congenital Zika Virus Syndrome is a significant disease that emerged in Brazil in 2015. There is no cure for this syndrome; drug treatment aims to  improve patients’ quality of life. However, drug therapy using multiple drugs can lead to adverse events and drug interactions to patients’ health. The study aimed to provide pharmaceutical care to pediatric patients with Zika  Virus Congenital Syndrome. The research is a longitudinal study carried out at the Physiotherapy Clinic of the State University of Paraíba (UEPB) and the  Specialized Center for Rehabilitation, both located in Campina Grande – PB,  eight months. There were five pediatric patients visits, one each month,  using the Phamacoterapy WorKup methodology and the Micromedex®  database to identify drug interactions. Twenty-three patients, 29 prescriptions, and 71 drugs belonging to 9 pharmacological classes were  evaluated. Anticonvulsants were the most prescribed, as for the existing  comorbidity, eight patients had two or more etiologically related diseases. In the study, there were 35 (49.2%) drug-drug interactions, of these with  severe effect 8 (22.9%), moderate 23 (65.7%), minor 4 (11.4%), and none with contraindicated effect, as well as 32 drug-food interactions and 43 druglaboratory interactions. Among the problems related to medications, 42 were identified, inefficiency/ loss of effectiveness and 23 (55%) being the  most frequent. Therefore, it is concluded that pharmacotherapeutic follow-up to pediatric patients with Congenital Zika Virus Syndrome is essential to assess these drugs’ rational use. Pharmaceutical Care can make a difference in the safe and proper use of drugs.