During coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the incidence rate of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in hospitalized patients seemed higher than before the pandemic. Severe inflammation triggered by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was cited as an explanation. We aimed to determine whether COVID-19 infection was associated with a higher risk of ADRs compared to other infectious diseases.

A monocentric historic cohort, “exposed/unexposed” study, was conducted in the university hospital of Saint-Étienne (inclusion period from March 05, 2020 to April 16, 2020 for “COVID-19” and from January to December 2019 for “non-COVID-19”). All ADRs reported in patients’ medical records were retrospectively assessed using Bégaud et al.’s algorithm. A multivariable Cox regression was performed to assess the hazard ratio (HR).

The incidence rate of 4.64 ADRs per person-month in the “COVID-19” group did not differ from the 3.52 ADRs per person-month in the “non-COVID-19” group (multivariable adjusted HR 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.91–1.81, P=0.1436). COVID-19 patients had more hepatobiliary disorders whereas non-COVID-19 patients had more renal and urinary disorders. Classes of drugs mostly involved in ADRs occurrence were antibiotics, followed by antithrombotics in both groups. Compared to patients with no ADR, patients with ADRs had higher C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and a lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).

In this study, the incidence rate in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 was not statistically different from that in the group with another infection. High CRP levels, as well as low eGFR, were the main risk factors for the occurrence of ADRs and should be considered in further ADR prevention strategies.