Medication Adherence in Chinese Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Medication adherence plays an important role in improving symptoms and ameliorating the progression of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The purpose of this study was to examine the medication adherence rate and explore the related factors for nonadherence in Chinese SLE patients.

A cross-sectional study from The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University between January 2017 and February 2018 was conducted. Patients with SLE completed the Compliance Questionnaire on Rheumatology to evaluate adherence, the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) for disease activity, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to assess anxiety and depression. χ Analyses, independent samples t tests, and logistic regression models were used to analyze data.

This study included 144 SLE patients, and we found that 43.1% (n = 62) of the patients were nonadherence. Education, SLEDAI, anxiety, and depression were correlated with adherence in SLE patients. Moreover, logistic regression models identified education, SLEDAI, and depression as important associated factors of nonadherence.

This is the first time to evaluate demographic, clinical, and psychological related factors for medication adherence in Chinese SLE patients using SLEDAI and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Our study showed that 56.9% of SLE patients were not adherent, and education, SLEDAI, and depression were significantly related to medication adherence in SLE. These findings suggested that it was necessary to pay more attention to medication adherence of SLE patients, especially those with lower level of education, higher score of SLEDAI, and depression by effective intervention to improve SLE patients' adherence, so as to improve their quality of life.