Abstract
OBJECTIVE Type 2 diabetes often coexists with other conditions that are amenable to phar-macological treatment. We hypothesized that polypharmacy among individuals with type 2 diabetes has increased since 2000. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Using Danish national registries, we established a cohort of all Danish individuals (aged ≥18 years) with type 2 diabetes between 2000 and 2020. We analyzed their medication use and prevalence of varying degrees of polypharmacy (≥5 or ≥10 medications), stratifying by age, sex, number of chronic diseases, and socioeconomic status. RESULTS The cohort grew from 84,917 patients in 2000 to 307,011 in 2020, totaling 461,849 unique patients. The number of daily medications used per patient increased from (mean ± SD) 3.7 ± 2.8 (in 2000) to 5.3 ± 3.2 (in 2020). The lifetime risk of polypharmacy was substantial, with 89% (n = 409,062 of 461,849) being ex-posed to ≥5 medications at some point and 47% (n = 217,467 of 461,849) to ≥10 medications. The increases were driven by an expanding group of medications, with analgesics, antihypertensives, proton pump inhibitors, and statins having the largest net increase. Advanced age, male sex, lower socioeconomic status, and Danish ethnicity positively correlated with polypharmacy but could not ex-plain the overall increase in polypharmacy. CONCLUSIONS Medication use and polypharmacy have increased among patients with type 2 dia-betes. Although the implications and appropriateness of this increased medication use are uncertain, the results stress the increasing need for health care personnel to understand the potential risks associated with polypharmacy, including medication interactions, adverse effects, and over-and underprescribing.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Diabetes Care |
Volume | 47 |
Issue number | 12 |
Pages (from-to) | 2120-2127 |
Number of pages | 8 |
ISSN | 0149-5992 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2024 by the American Diabetes Association.