[Patient compliance with drug therapy in temporal arteritis]

To evaluate patient compliance with drug therapy in temporal arteritis and to determine the characteristics of compliant or non-compliant patients.

Inpatients and outpatients from an Internal Medicine Unit were interviewed. Compliance with drug dosage and administration time was assessed with a questionnaire for the following drugs: glucocorticoids, calcium, vitamin D, diphosphonates (prevention of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis).

Forty-nine patients were interviewed (61% female, mean age = 73.7 years). Glucocorticoids were prescribed to 96% of the patients, calcium and vitamin D to 86% and diphosphonates to 49%. Compliance with drug therapy was 87%, 60%, 68% and 51%, respectively, for all treatments. It was independent from the disease duration. Male were more compliant than female (P = 0.012).

Half of the patients with temporal arteritis are non-compliant with drug therapy. The questionnaire is simple. It can be used in everyday clinical practice to study and improve patient compliance.