Polypharmacy and drug-related problems among people living with HIV/AIDS: a single-center experience
Background/aim
The HIV-infected population is aging, and the concomitant comorbidities increase the likelihood of polypharmacy. There is a scarcity of data for determining drug-related problems in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).


Materials and methods
This cross-sectional study was carried out between 1 September 2015 and 1 July 2016. All patients underwent a face-to-face interview with a clinical pharmacist. PCNE Classification V 7.0 was used classify incident drug-related problems (DRPs).


Results
The mean age of the patients was 40.4 ± 13.06 years. The rate of polypharmacy was 66.1% in patients with comorbidities and 12.3% in those without comorbidities (P < 0.001). DRPs were more prominent in older patients (46 vs. 37 years, P < 0.001), those with longer  durations  of  antiretroviral  therapy  (ART)  (45  vs.  27  months,  P  =  0.014),  and  those  with  lower  education  levels  (P  =  0.013).  Receiving >3 ART drugs was associated with more DRPs in the logistic regression model (odds ratio: 8.299, 95% confidence interval: 1.924–35.803). Fifty-eight interventions were performed in 45 (24.9%) patients. Clinical pharmacist interventions were performed in 18.9% of patients without polypharmacy and in 38.9% of patients with polypharmacy (P < 0.001).


Conclusion
DRPs and polypharmacy are common among elderly PLWHA. More interventions are warranted to boost the quality of life in aging PLWHA.
['Kara|Emre|E|0000-0002-7034-4787', 'İnkaya|Ahmet Çağkan|AÇ|0000-0001-7943-8715', 'Aydın Haklı|Duygu|D|0000-0002-4475-3288', 'Demirkan|Kutay|K|0000-0002-6427-5826', 'Ünal|Serhat|S|0000-0003-1184-4711']
D000328:Adult D015897:Comorbidity D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions D005260:Female D015658:HIV Infections D006801:Humans D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D019338:Polypharmacy D014421:Turkey
polypharmacy drug-related problems Human immunodeficiency virus