Which class of drugs is a well-recognised pharmacological risk factor for spontaneous Achilles tendon rupture?

• A Angiotensin receptor blockers
• B Metformin
• C Proton pump inhibitors
• D Fluoroquinolone antibiotics ✓

Explanation

Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin cause tendinopathy and rupture, typically within days to weeks of starting the drug, thought to result from impaired tenocyte proliferation and matrix degradation. Risk rises with age, concurrent corticosteroid use, and renal disease. Statins cause myopathy rather than tendon rupture, and the other drug classes listed have no established association with Achilles pathology. Exam questions often pair an elderly patient on recent ciprofloxacin with a low-energy rupture.

Reference: Katzung's Basic and Clinical Pharmacology, 16th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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