Prescription medication use among patients with type 2 diabetes in the United States: 1999–2020
Authors' conclusion
Prescription medication burden and complexity increased substantially among patients with type 2 diabetes, with more than 50% of patients with polypharmacy. Attention should be paid to this escalating medication use and regimen complexity, which requires multidisciplinary and coordinated care.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with T2D in the United States, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2020; in 2015–2020 mean age 59.6 years, 46.8% female, 57.8% non-Hispanic White
- Participants
- 9,489 adults
- Outcome
- Polypharmacy (use of ≥5 medications)
- Follow-up
- 1999–2020
Methodological detailsnationally representative, NHANES 1999–2020
- Nationally representative
- NHANES 1999–2020
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Prevalence of polypharmacy · 1999-2002 to 2015-2020
- Polypharmacy 1999-2002
- 35.1% (31.6-38.6)
- Polypharmacy 2003-2006
- 47.2% (43.7-50.7)
- Polypharmacy 2015-2020
- 51.1% (48.3-53.9)
- Trend
- p for trend <0.001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Polypharmacy trends by subgroup and therapeutic class
- Increasing trends of polypharmacy across all population subgroups and most therapeutic classes
Most common non-cardiometabolic medications
- Antidepressants
- 19.8%
- Proton pump inhibitors
- 19.0%
- Analgesics
- 16.2%
Share of medication use attributed to non-cardiometabolic medications among patients with polypharmacy
- Non-cardiometabolic share of medication use
- ≈40%
Original publication
Prescription medication use among patients with type 2 diabetes in the United States: 1999–2020. Diabetes Obes Metab. Published 2 May 2024. doi:10.
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