Abstract
The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide and is commonly associated with comorbidities. The use of several drugs is often necessary, which leads to Potential Drug Interactions (PDI) that may increase the morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to analyze the prevalence of drug interaction and its association with socio-demographics, health status, and drug use in severely obese individuals. Baseline data from a randomized clinical trial registered at Clinicaltrial.gov (NCT02463435) were used. A total of 150 individuals aged 18–65 years with a body mass index of 35 kg/m2 were included. The outcome variable was the presence of PDI, and the explanatory variables were divided into the following four levels: socio-demographic, lifestyle, health, and medication use. The prevalence of PDI was 50% (n = 75) (95% CI 41–58). The variables associated with drug–drug interactions in the multiple analyses were arterial hypertension (PR 1.83, 95%, CI 1.10–3.04), polypharmacy (PR 3.12, 95%, CI 2.17–4.50), and diabetes mellitus (PR 0.60, 95%, CI 0.45–0.81). The risk factors for the occurrence of drug interaction were the presence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and polypharmacy.
Highlights
The prevalence of obesity has increased over the years, in particular of severe obesity
Our study demonstrated that polypharmacy increased the risk of the severely obese patient presenting
Previous studies related to the prevalence of Potential Drug Interactions (PDI) in severely obese individuals are not available, such outcomes have been described in studies on patients with chronic health conditions [22,23]
Summary
The prevalence of obesity has increased over the years, in particular of severe obesity. The category of obesity with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 35 kg/m2 [1] presented the highest increase among other categories such as overweightness and obesity [2] and was recorded in 12% of the world population in 2015 [3]. Obesity culminates with the emergence of other comorbidities [4], such as the already well-established triad of arterial hypertension (AH) [5], diabetes mellitus (DM) [6], and hypercholesterolemia [7] These patients may still have problems related to the renal system [8], hepatic system [9], skeletal muscle [10], and respiratory system, among others [11].
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