Background:Diabetes type 2 is considered one of the main public health concerns. Lack of adherence to treatment leads to poor therapeutic outcome, poor glycemic control, and high risk for developing diabetes complications.Objectives:The aim of this study is to evaluate adherence to oral antidiabetic medication in Diabetes type 2 Lebanese patients, and to evaluate factors leading to low adherence.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted in outpatients endocrinology clinics of two hospitals and four private clinics located in Beirut-Lebanon. Data was collected using a well-structured questionnaire by trained pharmacists. Adherence level was measured by the Lebanese Medication Adherence Scale (LMAS-14). Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using SPSS version 20.Results:Overall, 245 patients were included in the study with the majority being females (54.3%) and obese (47.8%). Only 29% of the participants had controlled glycemia (HbA1c <7%) with 31.8% of subjects had high adherence to their medication compared to 68.2% with low adherence. Increased working hours/day was associated with a decrease in adherence to oral antidiabetic medication (OR=0.31; 95% CI 0.11:0.88; p=0.029). Other factors significantly associated with decreased adherence to treatment were forgetfulness, high drug costs, complex treatment regimens, experiencing side effects, and perception of treatment inefficacy. Postponing physician office visits also decreased the probability of being adherent to oral antidiabetic medication (OR=0.36; 95% CI 0.15:0.86; p=0.022). Skipping or doubling the dose in case of hypo/hyperglycemia and the sensation of treatment burden also decreased medication adherence (OR=0.09; 95% CI 0.02:0.34; p=0.001, and OR=0.04; 95% CI 0.01:0.13; p<0.001 respectively).Conclusions:Adherence to oral antidiabetic medication is low for Lebanese patients, which leads to a poor glycemic control and increases the diabetes complications. Intervention programs including patient education strategies are essential to improve medication adherence.

Objective To evaluate factors affecting adherence to oral antidiabetic treatment in the Lebanese population and to develop the Diabetes Medication Adherence Scale (DMAS) based on these factors. Methods A cross‐sectional study was conducted on a sample of Lebanese diabetic patients. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The level of adherence was measured using the Lebanese Medication Adherence Scale (LMAS‐14). Bivariate analyses and multivariable analysis was done using SPSS. Psychometric evaluation of DMAS included an assessment of internal consistency, factor analysis, evaluation of sensitivity and specificity. Criterion‐related validity was assessed by comparison with LMAS‐14 measure of adherence. Key findings A total of 500 patients were recruited. 39.2% were adherent to treatment. Long working hours, increased number of oral antidiabetic medication per day, drug discontinuation when travelling, longer duration of diabetes and treatment burden were among factors that decreased adherence. While understanding the treatment regimen, following up physician recommendations and following up the recommended diet contributed to good medication adherence. The final 7‐item scale (DMAS) had a good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.612) and a good correlation and agreement with LMAS‐14 (Spearman’s rho = 0.699, Cohen’s kappa = 0.566). Patients with high DMAS scores were significantly more likely to have controlled glycaemia (P < 0.05). Sensitivity and specificity reached 70.39% and 51.47%, respectively. Conclusion Adherence to oral antidiabetic treatment is suboptimal in Lebanon. The DMAS is a reliable instrument for assessing adherence and predicting poor glycaemic control in clinical practice, but requires further validation in other populations.

Purposeof review: To describe the clinical presentation, diagnosis, management and outcomes of four confirmed Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) cases and a review of the literatureRecent findings:There was a sharp rise in the number of EEE cases in the US in 2019, with 38 confirmed cases and 15 deaths. Our institution cared for 10% of patients with neuro-invasive EEE nationwide. These were the first cases seen locally since 2010.Summary:EEE virus causes one of the most lethal types of arboviral encephalitis in the US with a mortality of 30-40%. Manifestations of EEE infections can range from mild encephalopathy to coma. Common findings include CSF pleocytosis and involvement of the basal ganglia on MRI. Given the rarity of this disease and nonspecific findings, diagnosis can be challenging and a high clinical suspicion is important. Management is mainly supportive and the use of IVIg remains controversial. Two of our four patients died; these patients had coma within 48 hours, hyponatremia, involvement of bilateral thalami and brainstem, status epilepticus, and severe brain dysfunction in EEG.