People living with HIV (PLWHIV) are susceptible to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) because of aging and infections. This means that the number of non-HIV medications increases, along with issues of polypharmacy and medication-related burden. The purpose of this study was to identify the current situation of polypharmacy and medication-related burden among PLWHIV aged 50 and above, as well as the relation between medication-related burden and antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence.
A cross-sectional study was conducted with 185 participants recruited from two HIV clinics in Yuelu District Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Changsha First Hospital in Hunan, China. Participants filled questionnaires about comorbidities, polypharmacy, medication-related burden, ART adherence and sociodemographic characteristics.
Among the participants, 40% were receiving polypharmacy, and PLWHIV, who were female ( β = 5.946; 95% CI = 1.354, 10.541), had a lower monthly income ( β = −4.777; 95% CI = −6.923, −2.632), and took more drugs ( β = 2.200; 95% CI = 1.167, 3.233) were more likely to report a higher level of medication-related burden. The score of ART adherence was negatively associated with medication-related burden ( r s = −0.250 p = 0.001).