Identification and analysis of antinutritional factors in possible interactions between medications and food/nutrients in hospitalized patients

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective: To identify and analyze the presence of antinutritional factors in possible interactions between medications and foods/ nutrients of the diets prescribed for patients of the Hospital Regional Justino Luz, in the city of Picos (PI) in order to suggest their likely mechanisms. Methods: The sample was made up of 120 medical records of hospitalized patients. The charts were analyzed to verify the presence or absence of interactions between medications and foods/nutrients of the diets prescribed to the patients at the Hospital Regional Justino Luz, emphasizing the action of antinutritional factors in these interactions. Results: Of the 189 medications prescribed, 128 (67.7%) had a possible interaction with food, totaling up 98 possible interactions between nutrients/foods and medications. Therefore, 20 (20.4%), 12 (12.2%) and 11 (11.2%) possible interactions were identified with captopril, acetylsalicylic acid and spironolactone, respectively, representing, in this order, the greatest frequencies of possible interactions among drugs and foods. A total of nine antinutritional factors were found in seven vegetable foods prescribed to inpatients, in which five (55.6%) were capable of interacting with the medications. Phytates and tannins had the largest quantity of possible interactions with drugs, each with 4 (26.7%) in a total of 15 interactions. The medications aluminum hydroxide, digoxin, and paracetamol attained greater probability of interaction with antinutrients, with 5 (33.3%), 3 (20%) and 3 (20%) interactions, respectively. Conclusion: Due to the large quantity of antinutritional factors capable of interacting with drugs prescribed for inpatients, the involvement of a multiprofessional team is indispensable so that these possible interactions between foods, antinutritional factors and drugs might be foreseen, detected, and resolved.