Mortality associated with the adverse effects of medical treatment has decreased modestly in the last 25 years, researchers report in JAMA Network Open.
The researchers used data from 1990 through 2016 on mortality related to the adverse effects of medical treatment from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors 2016 study.
The researchers attributed 123,603 deaths to adverse effects of medical treatment for the study period. The age-standardized mortality rate for deaths due to adverse effects of medical treatment decreased by 21 percent between 1990 and 2016, the study found.
The study authors found similar mortality rates for men when compared to women. However, the researchers found a significant increase in mortality rates for patients aged 70 and older.