(1) Background: Metabolic disorders, including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia (HHH), rank at the top of the disease burden in China. However, population-level assessment of pharmacological treatment remains limited by the lack of scalable metrics for monitoring medication use and outcomes. (2) Methods: We pioneered the use of standardized combined “HHH” medication usage—encompassing antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and lipid-lowering agents—as an integrated proxy for evaluating interventions for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Leveraging wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), we quantified HHH medication loads (mg/d/1000 persons) across 30 prefectures covering all regions in China, and mapped the associated geographical disparities using independent t-tests. Associations with environmental, socioeconomic, demographic, social service, and health-related behavioral and lifestyle factors were further examined via correlation analysis. (3) Results: Our findings confirmed a pronounced north–south gradient in HHH medication uses (the mean standardized loads in the north were approximately twice as high as those in the south, p < 0.05). Furthermore, aging, sex ratio, nicotine consumption, obesity rate, the comprehensive Air Quality Index (AQI), precipitation and the Urban Wellness and Healthcare Index were identified as the top seven influencing factors (|r| values ranging from 0.37 to 0.71, all p < 0.05). (4) Conclusions: As a comprehensive national-scale analysis of multi-drug use for HHH via WBE, this study provides valuable insights into national multi-disease pharmacological treatment, offering evidence-based support for refining clinical prescribing guidelines and rationalizing the allocation of healthcare resources.
Zhang et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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