Adherence with drug therapy in the rheumatic diseases Part one: A review of adherence rates

Abstract

Drug therapy plays a major role in the management of many rheumatic diseases and is particularly important in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) because of the significant rates of morbidity and mortality (Pincus, 1995). Understanding of the pathogenesis of RA has led to the development of new and more effective drugs (Emery et al., 1999), but the ultimate efficacy of any drug therapy depends upon the patient's decision to take it. There is widespread agreement that many people with rheumatic disease do not adhere to their medication regimens (Deyo et al., 1981; Belcon et al., 1984; Pullar et al., 1988; Hill et al., 2001). Research has demonstrated that 50% of women taking hormone replacement therapy for the prevention of osteoporosis discontinue treatment after a year (Fordham, 2000) and similar rates of discontinuation are found in other chronic diseases (Haynes et al., 1996, 2000). This is bewildering as, in asymptomatic illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes, the expectation is that levels of adherence would be lower than in diseases where pain and stiffness are present. The picture becomes even more confusing when we consider the findings from a recent multi-country study of RA, which found no association between adherence and disease severity, nor with the treatment prescribed (Viller et al., 1999). In chronic disease poor adherence is commonplace. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes this and has recently stated that 'poor adherence to treatment of chronic diseases is a worldwide problem of striking magnitude' and cites adherence to long-term therapy for chronic illnesses in developed countries averaging just 50% (WHO, 2003). The first part of this two part review focuses on adherence with drug therapy, and the second part discusses different methods of measuring it.

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