Abstract
Polypharmacy is increasingly prevalent among people living with HIV (PLWH), especially as they age and manage multiple comorbidities. This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 268 PLWH in Vigo, Spain (2020–2023), revealing an aging cohort (mean age 49.8 years) and a 51.9% prevalence of multimorbidity. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Polypharmacy, defined as the chronic use of ≥ 5 non-antiretroviral drugs, was observed in 35.7% of participants, increasing among older adults (≥ 50 years, 50.7%; p < 0.001) and those living with HIV for > 10 years (43.0%; p = 0.004). Nervous system medications (47.0%), alimentary tract/metabolism drugs (36.2%), and cardiovascular drugs (34.3%) were the most common. Psychotropic drugs were frequent, particularly anxiolytics (24.8%) and antidepressants (22.9%). In multivariable analysis, anxiolytic use was associated with older age (OR = 1.03; p = 0.038), female sex (OR = 1.97; p = 0.042), current smoking (OR = 3.74; p = 0.002), and past cocaine use (OR = 2.52; p = 0.008); antidepressant use with past (OR = 3.46; p = 0.015) and current smoking (OR = 4.46; p = 0.001). These findings highlight the complexity of managing polypharmacy in aging PLWH and underscore the need for strategies to optimize medication use.
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Data availability
The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available, but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Access will require adherence to appropriate ethical guidelines and approval from the relevant institutional review board.
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We want to particularly acknowledge the patients and the Biobank at the Galicia Sur Health Research Institute for their collaboration.
Funding
A.L.L. was supported by a Río Hortega contract (CM22/00243) from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. J.A.D. was supported by a predoctoral contract for research training in health (PFIS) (FI23/00006) from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.
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A.L.L. contributed to the formal analysis, investigation, methodology, and writing of the original draft. A.P.G., J.A.D., A.O., C.M., L. M., and N.M.L.C. were responsible for investigation. J.A.A. contributed to methodology. E.P. contributed to conceptualization, investigation, and writing of the original draft. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
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López López, A., Pérez González, A., Alonso Domínguez, J. et al. High prevalence of polypharmacy and nervous system medications in people with HIV: a cross-sectional analysis. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-36832-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-36832-4
