[Number and kinds of drug side-effects in a medical clinic (author's transl)].

All drug side-effects - definite, probable and suspected - were noted during one year in 1592 patients. The severity of the side-effects was classified into mild (15%), moderate (6.5%), and severe (1%) forms. Fatal side-effects occurred without exception only in those patients who were severely ill so that any risk of treatment had been fully justified. Among patients with renal failure, malignant haematological diseases or Hodgkin's disease there was a particularly high incidence of side-effects. Although the proportion of the latter patients was only 15% of all in-patients, they accounted for 35% of patients with side-effects.