The association of polypharmacy to diabetes distress among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus attending an outpatient clinic in Omdurman-Sudan

Introduction: Diabetes distress and polypharmacy are causes of concern among diabetic patients. The present study assessed the association of polypharmacy to diabetes distress among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among 103 consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes at an outpatient clinic in Omdurman, Sudan during the period from June 2016 to September 2016. Participants signed a written informed consent, then interviewed to collect demographic data, number and type of drugs taken to assess the polypharmacy and the duration of diabetes mellitus. A blood sample was taken for fasting plasma sugar and the HbA1c. The 17-items diabetes distress scale was used to assess diabetes distress. The ethical committee of Omdurman Teaching Hospital approved the research and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used for data analysis. Results: They were 103 patients with type 2 diabetes, their age mean +/- SD (59.64 +/- 9.6), the mean HbA1c was 9.91 +/- 2.65, the majority (70.9%) had poor glycemic control (HbA1c > 7) and the fasting plasma sugar was above the goal recommended by the American Diabetes Association in 82.4% of the participants. Polypharmacy was observed in 31.1% of patients. No differences were found between patients on polypharmacy and those without regarding age, diabetes duration, the glycated hemoglobin and diabetes distress. Conclusion: No significant statistical difference was found between polypharmacy patients and their counterparts regarding diabetes distress score.