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Original Article
Online Published: 10 Dec 2025
 


Polypharmacy and glycemic control: insights from diabetes care in Riyadh’s primary and specialized diabetes clinics

Abdulrahman Hisn Alduhayyim, Abdulaziz Alalawn, Atheer Abdullah Alkanhal, Reema Adel Alrashidi, Abdulelah Mohammed Sharaf, Abdulaziz Abdullah Aljohani, Abdullah Mansour Alzahrani, Sulaiman Fahad Alzomia, Rakan Mohammed Alghonaim.


Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of polypharmacy among adults with diabetes attending care and to evaluate its association with glycemic control.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at King Saud University Medical City (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) in May 2025. Consecutive adults with diabetes completed an electronic questionnaire, and their most recent glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was abstracted from the clinic record. Polypharmacy was defined as the concurrent use of ≥5 medications. Factors associated with polypharmacy were examined using multivariable logistic regression, with adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) reported.
Results: A total of 308 participants (52.6% female) were analyzed. Polypharmacy was 72.7%. Adjusted models showed associations with age >60 years (AOR, 2.901; 95% CI, 1.592-5.285; p-value = 0.001), diabetes duration >10 years (AOR, 2.623; 95% CI, 1.517-4.535; p-value = 0.001), hypertension (AOR, 9.031; 95% CI, 4.989-16.347), dyslipidemia (AOR, 4.215; 95% CI, 2.376-7.476), cardiovascular disease (AOR, 6.530; 95% CI, 2.513-16.971), uncontrolled HbA1c >7% (AOR, 2.197; 95% CI, 1.311-3.682; p-value 0.003), and diabetes complications (AOR, 3.821; 95% CI, 2.077-7.030). Sex, occupation, diet, physical activity, and home glucose monitoring were not significant.
Conclusion: Polypharmacy was frequent and clustered with older age, longer diabetes duration, multimorbidity, complications, and uncontrolled HbA1c. Findings support systematic medication reviews and deprescribing strategies, integrated with lifestyle and glycemic management, to reduce unnecessary regimen complexity while maintaining clinical control.

Key words: Polypharmacy, diabetes, HbA1c, comorbidity, Saudi Arabia.


 
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How to Cite this Article
Pubmed Style

Alduhayyim AH, Alalawn A, Alkanhal AA, Alrashidi RA, Sharaf AM, Aljohani AA, Alzahrani AM, Alzomia SF, Alghonaim RM. Polypharmacy and glycemic control: insights from diabetes care in Riyadh’s primary and specialized diabetes clinics. IJMDC. 2025; 9(11): 2646-2652. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1755343750

Web Style

Alduhayyim AH, Alalawn A, Alkanhal AA, Alrashidi RA, Sharaf AM, Aljohani AA, Alzahrani AM, Alzomia SF, Alghonaim RM. Polypharmacy and glycemic control: insights from diabetes care in Riyadh’s primary and specialized diabetes clinics. https://www.ijmdc.com/?mno=277694 [Access: June 23, 2026]. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1755343750

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Alduhayyim AH, Alalawn A, Alkanhal AA, Alrashidi RA, Sharaf AM, Aljohani AA, Alzahrani AM, Alzomia SF, Alghonaim RM. Polypharmacy and glycemic control: insights from diabetes care in Riyadh’s primary and specialized diabetes clinics. IJMDC. 2025; 9(11): 2646-2652. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1755343750


Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Alduhayyim AH, Alalawn A, Alkanhal AA, Alrashidi RA, Sharaf AM, Aljohani AA, Alzahrani AM, Alzomia SF, Alghonaim RM. Polypharmacy and glycemic control: insights from diabetes care in Riyadh’s primary and specialized diabetes clinics. IJMDC. (2025), [cited June 23, 2026]; 9(11): 2646-2652. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1755343750


Harvard Style

Alduhayyim, A. H., Alalawn, . A., Alkanhal, . A. A., Alrashidi, . R. A., Sharaf, . A. M., Aljohani, . A. A., Alzahrani, . A. M., Alzomia, . S. F. & Alghonaim, . R. M. (2025) Polypharmacy and glycemic control: insights from diabetes care in Riyadh’s primary and specialized diabetes clinics. IJMDC, 9 (11), 2646-2652. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1755343750


Turabian Style

Alduhayyim, Abdulrahman Hisn, Abdulaziz Alalawn, Atheer Abdullah Alkanhal, Reema Adel Alrashidi, Abdulelah Mohammed Sharaf, Abdulaziz Abdullah Aljohani, Abdullah Mansour Alzahrani, Sulaiman Fahad Alzomia, and Rakan Mohammed Alghonaim. 2025. Polypharmacy and glycemic control: insights from diabetes care in Riyadh’s primary and specialized diabetes clinics. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, 9 (11), 2646-2652. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1755343750


Chicago Style

Alduhayyim, Abdulrahman Hisn, Abdulaziz Alalawn, Atheer Abdullah Alkanhal, Reema Adel Alrashidi, Abdulelah Mohammed Sharaf, Abdulaziz Abdullah Aljohani, Abdullah Mansour Alzahrani, Sulaiman Fahad Alzomia, and Rakan Mohammed Alghonaim. "Polypharmacy and glycemic control: insights from diabetes care in Riyadh’s primary and specialized diabetes clinics." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries 9 (2025), 2646-2652. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1755343750


MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Alduhayyim, Abdulrahman Hisn, Abdulaziz Alalawn, Atheer Abdullah Alkanhal, Reema Adel Alrashidi, Abdulelah Mohammed Sharaf, Abdulaziz Abdullah Aljohani, Abdullah Mansour Alzahrani, Sulaiman Fahad Alzomia, and Rakan Mohammed Alghonaim. "Polypharmacy and glycemic control: insights from diabetes care in Riyadh’s primary and specialized diabetes clinics." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries 9.11 (2025), 2646-2652. Print. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1755343750


APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Alduhayyim, A. H., Alalawn, . A., Alkanhal, . A. A., Alrashidi, . R. A., Sharaf, . A. M., Aljohani, . A. A., Alzahrani, . A. M., Alzomia, . S. F. & Alghonaim, . R. M. (2025) Polypharmacy and glycemic control: insights from diabetes care in Riyadh’s primary and specialized diabetes clinics. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, 9 (11), 2646-2652. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1755343750




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