Prevalence of Dietary Supplement Use and Potential Medication Interactions Among Adults With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to characterize the prevalence and correlates of dietary supplement use, identify commonly used supplements, and evaluate potential supplement-medication interactions among adults with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data from 451 adults in the Approaches to Positive, Patient-Centered Experiences of Aging With Lupus study, an ancillary study of the population-based Georgians Organized Against Lupus cohort. Participants reported dietary supplement and medication use during a single study visit. Sociodemographic and clinical correlates of supplement use were assessed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Potential interactions between commonly used supplements and prescription medications were identified using the NatMed Pro database.

Results: Overall, 80.9% of participants used at least one supplement and 55.9% used at least two. The most used supplements were vitamin D (64.1%), multivitamins (45.2%), calcium (29.7%), vitamin B12 (10.6%), and iron (9.3%). Nearly one-third (29.5%) of participants were taking a supplement-medication combination with potential for an interaction. Use of at least two supplements was more common among participants who were older, had higher educational attainment, used at least five prescription medications, or had greater health care use. Potential drug interactions were more frequent among those with polypharmacy, greater SLE disease damage, and recent primary care visits.

Conclusion: In this large SLE cohort, dietary supplement use was highly prevalent, and nearly one-third of participants had a potential supplement-medication interaction. These findings underscore the need for routine assessment of supplement use and strategies to support safe, informed use of supplements in people with SLE.