Topical treatment adherence and associated factors in patients with psoriasis: A single center, cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Topical medications are one of the main treatments for psoriasis. Adherence to treatment is an important factor in achieving successful control of disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate adherence to topical drugs and identify possible associated factors in in patients with psoriasis. Ninety‐three patients were evaluated by a two‐part questionnaire; the first part examined demographic, socioeconomic and disease‐related factors while the second part, the ECOB questionnaire (Elaboration d'un outil d'evaluation de l'observance des traitements medicamenteux), examined adherence to topical drugs. The mean self‐reported adherence to topical treatment in this study, was 50.5%. Severe disease, involvement of lower extremity, and positive family history of psoriasis were associated with poor adherence to treatment. Patients with a history of diabetes mellitus had better adherence to treatment. In this study adherence to topical treatment was low and had no significant relationship with most of the studied demographic and socioeconomic factors.

Topically Applied Therapies for the Treatment of Skin Disease: Past, Present, and Future

“…Patient adherence within dermatology varies depending on the condition and type of treatment. Non-adherence can be separated into two primary categories: one where the patient does not collect the prescribed treatment (poor initiation of therapy), and/or the patient does not take the medication as directed by their physician (poor implementation and discontinuation of therapy) (Nasimi et al, 2022;Vrijens et al, 2012). Beyond these two primary categorisations there are multiple factors affecting a decline in adherence including:…”

“…Marital/co-habitation status, employment, education, and lifestyle choices such as having a balanced lifestyle that does not include smoking or drinking have all been associated with adherence to the use of medication (Larsen et al, 2019;Nasimi et al, 2022;Svendsen et al, 2021). For example, higher adherence to psoriasis treatments for married individuals compared to those who are single and employed compared to unemployed people has been suggest to indicate that adherence is improved at ASPET Journals on June 27, 2024 pharmrev.aspetjournals.org…”