Prescription characteristics of phosphate binders in a high pill burden for hemodialysis patients

Background Dialysis patients have to take many oral drugs, causing a high pill burden. Phosphate binders (PBs) account for a large proportion of daily pill burden; however, the relationship between patient background and prescription status of PBs is not clear. Methods We clarified the characteristics of PBs in the total daily pill burden by analyzing the drugs prescribed for 533 chronic hemodialysis patients in our facility. Results An average of nine different types of oral drugs was prescribed for each patient. The mean and median values of total pill burden were 15.1 and 14.1 pills/day/patient, respectively. The total pill burden showed a significant negative correlation with age and a significant positive correlation with dialysis vintage. In addition, the total pill burden was significantly higher in males than in females. However, there was no difference in the pill burden between patients with and without diabetes mellitus (DM). PBs were prescribed to 409 patients (76.7%), and the mean pill burden derived from PBs was 6.44 pills/day/patient. This was by far the highest of all 35 different drug categories and accounted for 32.84% of all pills. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that independent predictors of total pill burden were age, dialysis vintage, DM, and serum phosphorus (P) levels, and all these variables, except DM, were also independent predictors of pill burden from PBs. These variables were also selected when considering the use of calcimimetics. Conclusions A high pill burden is more likely to occur in younger patients with longer dialysis vintage, DM, higher serum P levels, and prescription of calcimimetics. In addition, PB was the single largest contributor to the total pill burden that positively and linearly linked to serum P levels. Therefore, P management is a high-priority issue in the mitigation of high pill burdens in dialysis patients.