Polypharmacy and the risk of drug-drug interactions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Introduction/Aim. Polypharmacy can increase the risk of side effects and cause adverse drug interactions with a significant impact on the course of the basic disease. The aim of the study was to determine the frequency of polypharmacy and examine its impact on the risk of drug-drug interactions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The research was conducted in the form of a retrospective cross-sectional study. Material and methods. The study included 131 patients diagnosed with RA, treated during 2019 and 2020. Demographic data and clinical characteristics of the subjects were collected from the medical documentation (presence of comorbidities, prescribed therapy and number of drugs). In the study, polypharmacy was defined as the use of more than five drugs, regardless of the length of therapy. Results. The data analysis of the therapy used by patients showed that 84 subjects (64.12%) used 5 - 9 drugs, both for the treatment of primary and for the treatment of other present acute and chronic diseases. The analysis of the collected results identified potential interactions in 86 respondents (65.65%), while the total number of potential interactions was 164. The most common potential interactions were serious (73.78%). Analyzing the obtained results, it appears that aceclofenac is the drug that has the potential to enter into the largest number of interactions with the drugs used in the therapy of RA. Conclusion. Given the wide range of available drugs and therapeutic modalities used in the treatment of RA, it is necessary to choose the right combination of drugs in order to achieve the desired therapeutic outcomes and minimize potential drug-drug interactions.