Quality of life and drug compliance: their interrelationship in rheumatic patients

In rheumatic disorders, one of the treatment objectives is to improve the patient's quality of life (QoL). Similar to other chronic conditions, drug compliance is poor, but necessary for successful treatment. The relationship between drug compliance and QoL has never been tested. The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationship between drug compliance and QoL in patients with different rheumatic disorders.

A cross-sectional study was conducted and patients ≥18 years of age with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), spondyloarthritis (SA), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and systemic scleroderma (SSc) were recruited. Data were collected by questionnaires including the Short Form 36 version 2, Compliance Questionnaire Rheumatology (CQR), Health Assessment Questionnaire and by a general questionnaire that focused on demographic characteristics.

The questionnaires were completed by 289 patients. Of the respondents, 61.6% (178) were treated for RA, 16.3% (47) for SA, 14.2% (41) for SSc and 8% (23) for JIA. The median of CQR score ranged from 66.7 (JIA) to 82.5 (RA), with 51.6% of patients reaching a score <80. QoL was decreased mainly in the physical component, with the lowest rate for patients with SSc. Higher compliance was observed in patients with decreased QoL (physical component), nevertheless, statistical significance of the relationship was reached only in JIA and SA patients.

Doctors caring for rheumatic patients should focus their efforts on strengthening drug compliance in patients with higher QoL where it seems that lower compliance is more likely.