Multiple Drugs and Health Consequences in Diabetes Mellitus Type II

Aim and Objective: To find the association between polypharmacy and health consequences in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Materials and Methods: 50 patients with multiple drugs (two or more) and morbidity, glycemic control, macrovascular complications, hospitalization, gastrointestinal disorders, cost of medicine were studied. History, physical examination, relevant investigation, and consequences of drugs were also studied. Results: Male to female: 32:18; average age: 44 years. Findings were: hyperglycemia is seen in 34 patients, hypoglycemia in 2, retinopathy in 10, coronary artery disease (CAD) by electrocardiogram (ECG) and 2D echo in 12, old myocardial infarction in 3, renal function test abnormality in 6, stroke in 2, hypertension in 15, dyslipidemia in 13, hypothyroidism in 3, and hospitalization due to any of the above in 5. Conclusion: Diabetes, a metabolic disorder, due to chronicity leads to macrovascular and microvascular complications which in turn are compelled to increase the number of medications due to uncontrolled hyperglycemia. More than two-third of patients in our study showed uncontrolled hyperglycemia. Diabetes has multiple sites and mechanisms of altered physiological and pathological processes. It is practical to have the requirement of more than two drugs when blood sugar in diabetes is not controlled. Also, it is obvious that the simultaneous use of more than one drug-having different mechanism of action appears to have an impact on treatments to control hyperglycemia. Sometimes, multiple drugs/therapy may give rise to undesirable side effects and it may be due to drug-drug or disease drug interaction. Furthermore, the activity of multiple targets by multiple drugs requires additional study. Multiple drugs in diabetes were seen more in males with geriatric age groups. Main reasons being comorbidities, which may be the main cause of morbidity and mortality, especially CAD, heart failure and diabetic cardiomyopathy. There is an indirect relationship between the glycemic control and the development and progression of clinical manifestations of comorbidities. Various comorbid diseases in diabetes require concomitant medications, that increases pill burden. Tailoring medical therapies to the patient’s biological characteristics may help to optimize disease treatment, thereby improving overall prognosis and decreasing comorbidities’ risk. Appropriate exercise and diet may reduce hyperglycemia with reduction in pill burden.