Profiles of non-compliance with antituberculous therapy

Treatment compliance was assessed by testing multiple urine samples for rifampicin in 113 consecutive patients taking a rifampicin containing regimen for tuberculosis. Nineteen (16.8%) patients had at least one negative urine sample after chromatographic analysis and these patients were more likely to be from social classes IV and V, to be Asian, and to have defaulted from at least one clinic appointment without good reason. A questionnaire was completed by 70 of the patients and four (6%) admitted to having omitted at least one treatment weekly; two of these also had at least one negative urine test. Physicians were only partly successful in identifying non-compliers. The relevance of these findings is discussed.