title: Polypharmacy in HIV: impact of data source and gender on reported drug utilization.
abstract: Drug use in HIV is complex and may involve multiple therapeutic and nontherapeutic agents including prescription, over-the-counter, complementary and alternative medicine, and social/recreational drugs. This study was designed to assess the extent of such drug use in HIV-infected men and women. One hundred four adults were recruited through the HIV Ontario Observational Database from HIV outpatient clinics throughout Ontario, Canada. Patient demographics and data on drug use and physician awareness of drug use were collected through in-person interviews and medical chart review. All patient interviews and 96% of medical charts revealed the use of at least one drug. Eighty-five percent of patients reported use of antiretroviral medications; nearly 70% used highly active antiretroviral therapy. Patients used significantly more drugs by patient report (15.7 +/- 7.7) than by medical chart review (8.4 +/- 5.0) reporting up to 39 drugs per person. Pill burden was substantial, averaging 20.7 +/- 12.5 and ranged up to 69 "pills-per-day." Patient-reported physician awareness of drug use was highest for prescription drugs and lowest for social/recreational drugs; correspondingly agreement between medical chart and patient report ranged from 80% for antiretrovirals to 10% for non-prescribed drugs. The drug and pill burden faced by patients with HIV is considerable. Prevalence of use for specific drug classes varied with both data source and gender while number of drugs used differed only by data source. Our findings emphasize the complexity of pharmacotherapy in HIV and the need for comprehensive drug assessment, particularly because of the risks of drug-drug interactions and decreased adherence secondary to therapeutic complexity.
authors.affiliation: Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Michelle D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Furler
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Einarson
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Walmsley
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Millson
authors.forename: Reina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bendayan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000145:classification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009864:Ontario; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D019338:Polypharmacy; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution
chemical_list: D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs