Fluoroquinolones and the risk of tendon injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis
One article on PainSci cites Alves 2019: Achilles Tendinitis Treatment Science
PainSci notes on Alves 2019:
This meta-analysis substantiates and confirms the existence of a well-known phenomenon, a serious side effect of the fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics: they cause a 2.5× greater risk of Achilles tendinitis than the average healthy person, and a 4× greater risk of Achilles tendon rupture, worse in older patients and when mixed with corticosteroids.
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
PURPOSE: Tendinopathy is a known adverse reaction associated to fluoroquinolones, but a meta-analysis was not yet published. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and a meta-analysis of the scientific evidence evaluating the risk of tendon injury associated with fluoroquinolones.
METHODS: A literature search was conducted to identify observational studies which reported results on the risk of Achilles tendon rupture (ATR), risk of Achilles tendinitis (AT), or risk of any tendon disorders (ATD). A meta-analysis was performed by pooling odds ratios (ORs) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
RESULTS: Fifteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. Treatment with fluoroquinolones was associated with an increased risk of ATR (OR 2.52 (95% CI 1.81-3.52), p < 0.001, I2 = 76.7%), an increased risk of AT (OR 3.95 (95% CI 3.11-5.01), p < 0.001, I2 = 0%), and increased risk of ATD (OR 1.98 (95% CI 1.62-2.43), p < 0.001, I2 = 84.5%). The initial risk estimates remained statistically significant among patients aged ≥ 60 years old. Risk estimates did not significantly change after depending on the concomitant use of corticosteroids or studies methodological quality assessment. The analysis according to the type of fluoroquinolones was only possible for ATR, which were ofloxacin and norfloxacin were found to increase the risk of this outcome, but not ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin.
CONCLUSIONS: The results of this meta-analysis confirm the risk of tendon injuries associated with fluoroquinolones. Older age and concomitant use of corticosteroids seem to be additional risk factors for tendinopathy.
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
- Relationships Between Sleep Quality and Pain-Related Factors for People with Chronic Low Back Pain: Tests of Reciprocal and Time of Day Effects. Gerhart 2017 Ann Behav Med.
- Modulation in the elastic properties of gastrocnemius muscle heads in individuals with plantar fasciitis and its relationship with pain. Zhou 2020 Sci Rep.
- Association Between Plantar Fasciitis and Isolated Gastrocnemius Tightness. Nakale 2018 Foot Ankle Int.
- No Added Benefit of Combining Dry Needling With Guideline-Based Physical Therapy When Managing Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Stieven 2020 J Orthop Sports Phys Ther.
- Effectiveness of customised foot orthoses for Achilles tendinopathy: a randomised controlled trial. Munteanu 2015 Br J Sports Med.