[Non-compliance with pharmacological treatment in patients with epilepsy]

The factors that affect adherence to pharmacological treatment with anticonvulsive drugs are manifold and can be classified as psychosocial, educational and related to the medication and the relation between physician and patient. Non-compliance with pharmacological treatment leads to: lack of control over seizures, recurrence, increased absenteeism from work and, possibly, injury to oneself or to others.

To determine and to analyse the variables associated to compliance with pharmacological treatment in a sector of the population in Peru.

The sample consisted of 114 patients evaluated between June 2001 and December 2002 at the Epilepsy and Clinical Electroencephalography Department of the National Neurological Sciences Institute Oscar Trelles Montes in Lima.

In this study the rate of non-compliance with the pharmacological regimen was 67.2% and those who did not adhere to the anticonvulsive therapy had poorer control over their seizures. The variables that were significantly associated to non-compliance with the pharmacological treatment were: lack of money to buy the medicine, patient's failure to acknowledge the disease, poor response to treatment, belief that the treatment is of no use or has no beneficial effects, and factors linked to the relationship between physician and patient. Patients who did not comply claimed that not being able to afford the medication was the most frequent reason why they had stopped following the treatment.