A recent study examined the prevalence of polypharmacy, the use of multiple medications, in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Patients with PsA were more likely to have comorbidities such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and depression. The study also revealed that patients with PsA had a higher frequency of medication use across various therapeutic categories compared with the control group, including musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, alimentary tract/metabolic, immunomodulatory, and nervous system drugs. The prevalence of polypharmacy increased with age and comorbidity. The findings suggest that polypharmacy poses a significant burden on individuals with PsA and highlights the need for considering alternative treatment strategies, such as biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, which may help reduce the use of analgesics and other secondary medications.
Reference: Pine L. Polypharmacy Is Significantly Higher in Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis. AJMC. Published March 18, 2023. Accessed May 10, 2023. https://www.ajmc.com/view/polypharmacy-is-significantly-higher-in-patients-with-psoriatic-arthrit.
Link: https://www.ajmc.com/view/polypharmacy-is-significantly-higher-in-patients-with-psoriatic-arthritis
