Observational studyRheumatology international2025
The association between polypharmacy and disease control in rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus: a cohort study.
Observational study in Rheumatology international, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Geroscience insights into difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis: the role of unhealthy aging, comorbidity, and therapeutic complexity.GeroScience · 2026Review
- High Burden and Phenotype-Specific Variability of Pain Polypharmacy in Early Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases: A 15-Year Real-World Analysis.Research square · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Polypharmacy can be associated with poor outcomes in chronic diseases. Our objective is to determine the prevalence of polypharmacy and its association with disease control in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). An observational study was conducted using the SARD database of the CHU de Québec. Participants newly diagnosed with RA or SLE enrolled in the database after 24 months were included. Collected data included number and type of medications, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and medication adherence (proportion of days covered during the first 180 days). Polypharmacy was defined as the simultaneous use ≥5 medications. Multivariable logistic and linear regressions were used to determine the association between polypharmacy and disease control (DAS28CRP, SLEDAI-2 K). The study included 111 participants (RA = 81; SLE = 30). Medication count increased at two years in RA (mean ± SD): 4.6 ± 3.3 to 6.9 ± 3.6; and SLE: 6.5 ± 4.6 to 7.80 ± 4.82. Polypharmacy prevalence increased at two years: RA: from 43 to 74%; SLE: from 47 to 73%. Mean medication adherence exceeded 85%. For RA participants, polypharmacy was associated with a better DAS28CRP score at one year [adjusted odds ratio of achieving a poor outcome: 0.17 (95%CI 0.04-0.71)], but this association was lost at two years [2.88 (0.45-18.29)]. For SLE, polypharmacy was not associated with disease activity based on the SLEDAI-2 K at one year [7.36 (0.26-211.16)] or two years [0.32 (0.05-1.99)]. Overall, polypharmacy is very prevalent in RA and SLE and could be positively associated with the level of disease control in the year after a diagnosis of RA.
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Registered trials
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