ABSTRACT:

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the one of the common chronic conditions which is usually associates with other comorbidities, being highly prevalent to adults’ patients with diabetes are likely to use more than five medications, when treating diabetes conditions and other underlying disease such as cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and neuropathic disease. This study aims to identify prevalence and risk factors of polypharmacy among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methodology: Hospital based retrospective study which was conducted among outpatient adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus who have visited BMC from January 2021 to December 2021, convenience sampling procedure was used to collect data from electronic health management system.

Conclusion / discussion: There is high prevalence of polypharmacy among patients with diabetes. Risk factors being age and co-existing conditions such as cardiovascular diseases.

Results: Of the 261 patients, 157 (60.1%) were using more than five medications which was more likely to older patients above 60 years than those below. Polypharmacy was highly reported to patient with at least one comorbidity (91.1%) than those with diabetes only (8.9%). Patients with cardiovascular disease had high prevalence (71.3%) and was reported at least on patient with respiratory disorders, chronic kidney disease, metabolic disorder and other disease. Female patients had high prevalence of polypharmacy (52.9%) than male patients (47.1%).