ArticleBMJ open2018
Polypharmacy among patients with diabetes: a cross-sectional retrospective study in a tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia.
Article in BMJ open, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 53 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
53 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 97 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence of polypharmacy among older adults with diabetes: A systematic review and Meta-Analysis.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2025Pooled it
- Prevalence and impact of polypharmacy in older patients with type 2 diabetes.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2022Pooled it
- Polypharmacy Reflects Metabolic Burden Rather than Frailty in Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Wise Prescriptions: Prevalence and Predictors of Polypharmacy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Primary Care: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- The Prevalence and Implications of Polypharmacy in Individuals With Type 1 Diabetes.Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics · 2026Article
- Mechanostimulation of neuroendocrine cells and their clinical relevance.Molecular and cellular biochemistry · 2026Review
- Small-Molecule Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Modulate Glucose Handling in C2C12 Cell Line In Vitro: A Mechanistic Study.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Polypharmacy and associated factors among patients with type two diabetes mellitus with comorbidity: a multicenter cross-sectional study in Northwest Ethiopia.BMC endocrine disorders · 2025Article
- Exploring possible hub genes of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic network biology study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Risk of insulin initiation with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors versus dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A real-world claims database study in Japan.Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2025Article
- Pathophysiological hallmarks in type 2 diabetes heterogeneity (review).Diabetology international · 2025Review
- Diabetes in Peripheral Artery Disease: Prevalence, Complications, and Polypharmacy.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Factors Influencing Adherence to Refills and Medications in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Saudi Arabia: A Questionnaire-Based Study.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2025Article
- Polypharmacy and drug interactions in older patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy: associated factors.BMC geriatrics · 2024Observational
- Review
- A Cross-Sectional Retrospective Study Assessing Potentially Inappropriate Medications for Elderly Diabetic Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Saudi Arabia.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2024Article
- Drug-related problems among type 2 diabetic patients in Sunwal Municipality of Western Nepal.PloS one · 2024Article
- Rate of Polypharmacy and Its Determinants Among Older Adult Cardiovascular Patients at Hiwot Fana Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in Eastern Ethiopia.Current therapeutic research, clinical and experimental · 2024Article
- De-indexed estimated glomerular filtration rates for the dosing of oral antidiabetic drugs in patients with chronic kidney disease.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Article
- Epidemiology of potential drug- drug interactions in hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in China: a retrospective study.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
ObjectivesPatients with diabetes are at high risk for polypharmacy (ie, use of multiple medications) for treatment of diabetes, associated comorbidities and other coexisting conditions. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of polypharmacy and factors associated with polypharmacy among adult patients with diabetes.
methodsA cross-sectional retrospective observational study of adults with diabetes, who visited the outpatient clinic of a tertiary teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia, was conducted. Data were extracted from the Electronic Health Record database for a period of 12 months (January-December 2016). Polypharmacy was defined as the cumulative use of five or more medications. Polypharmacy among adults with diabetes was measured by calculating the average number of medications prescribed per patient. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to examine the factors associated with polypharmacy.
resultsA total of 8932 adults with diabetes were included in this study. Of these, nearly 78% had polypharmacy which was more likely among women as compared with men and more likely among older adults (age ≥60 years) as compared with the adults. Also, polypharmacy was two times as likely among patients with coexisting cardiovascular conditions (adjusted OR (AOR)=2.89; 95% CI 2.54 to 3.29), respiratory disease (AOR=2.42; 95% CI 1.92 to 3.03) and mental health conditions (AOR=2.19; 95% CI 1.74 to 2.76), and three times as likely among patients with coexisting musculoskeletal disease (AOR=3.16; 95% CI 2.31 to 4.30) as compared with those without these coexisting chronic conditions categories.
conclusionsPolypharmacy is common among patients with diabetes, with an even higher rate in older adults patients. Healthcare providers can help in detecting polypharmacy and in providing recommendations for simplifying medication regimens and minimising medications to enhance the outcome of diabetes care.
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