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:
- Association of Lumbar MRI Findings with Current and Future Back Pain in a Population-based Cohort Study. Kasch 2022 Spine (Phila Pa 1976).
- A double-blinded randomised controlled study of the value of sequential intravenous and oral magnesium therapy in patients with chronic low back pain with a neuropathic component. Yousef 2013 Anaesthesia.
- Is Neck Posture Subgroup in Late Adolescence a Risk Factor for Persistent Neck Pain in Young Adults? A Prospective Study. Richards 2021 Phys Ther.
- Sudden amnesia resulting in pain relief: the relationship between memory and pain. Choi 2007 Pain.
- Photobiomodulation therapy is not better than placebo in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Guimarães 2021 Pain.