The prevalence of medication-related problems in kidney transplant recipients at a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia

Limited data are available regarding the prevalence of medication-related problems (MRPs) in kidney transplant recipients. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and types of medication-related problems.

A cross-sectional study was conducted including kidney transplant recipients aged ≥ 18 years who were receiving immunosuppressive agents for at least 3 months post-transplant. The primary outcome was to determine the prevalence of MRPs. The secondary outcomes were to identify the pharmacological classes, categories of medications contributing to MRPs, and predictors of developing > 3 MRPs.

We enrolled 107 kidney transplant recipients. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) of age and body mass index (BMI) were 50 ± 15.8 years and 28.9 ± 5.3 (kg/m²), respectively, and 66.3% were male. The prevalence of MRPs was 28.97% [95% confidence intervals (CI) 19.68%, 41.125] in 1393 prescriptions. The frequent types of MRPs were drug‒drug interactions (46.1%), duplication (12%), and medication use without an indication (11.7%). Immunosuppressive agents and cardiac medications were the main classes causing MRPs. The number of medications and the years post-kidney-transplant were significant predictors of developing > 3 MRPs.

The results showed that drug‒drug interactions were the most frequent MRPs, with immunosuppressive agents being the most common class causing MRPs.