Lupus & antiphospholipid syndrome
Polypharmacy in Adults With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Study context
- Population
- US adults with validated systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) from a population-based cohort in Atlanta, Georgia (15.3% ≥60 years old, 91.8% women, 81.8% Black)
- Participants
- 451 adults
- Outcome
- Prevalence of polypharmacy (five or more prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medications, self-reported)
Methodological detailspopulation-based cohort, crude logistic regression and postestimation marginals
- Population-based cohort
- Crude logistic regression and postestimation marginals
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Polypharmacy prevalence
Participants reporting polypharmacy
56.3%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Age-adjusted polypharmacy prevalence by participant characteristics
- Age ≥60 years
- 68.1%
- Age 40-59 years
- 59.8%
- Age 18-39 years
- 43.0%
- Higher vs lower disease activity
- 65.8% vs 46.2%
- Higher vs lower cumulative SLE-related damage
- 68.5% vs 42.4%
- Longer vs shorter disease duration
- 62.4% vs 50.0%
- Three to five vs zero to one immunomodulating medications
- 79.6% vs 38.0%
- Not statistically significantly different by sex, race, or education
Most common medications used
- HCQ
- 71.4%
- GC
- 44.3%
- Other immunomodulating drugs
- 50.3%
- Antihypertensives
- 61.9%
- Nonopioid pain relievers
- 51.7%
- Allergy treatments
- 22.4%
- Antidepressants
- 22.2%
- Gastric reflux medications
- 21.7%
- Polypharmacy was most often driven by other medications
Original publication
Polypharmacy in Adults With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). Published 14 January 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →