Medication adherence in Behçet's syndrome: real-world data from a tertiary referral cohort

Medication adherence is a key determinant of treatment effectiveness in chronic inflammatory diseases but data in Behçet's syndrome (BS) remain limited. This study evaluated medication adherence in a real-world cohort of patients with BS and explored demographic and clinical factors associated with reduced adherence.

We conducted a monocentric cross-sectional study including 125 patients with BS followed at a tertiary referral centre. Adherence was assessed using the validated 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8). Patients were classified as having high (score=8), intermediate (score 6-<8) or low adherence (score<6). Disease activity was evaluated using the Behçet's Disease Current Activity Form and the Behçet's Disease Activity Index. Associations between adherence and clinical variables were analysed using Spearman correlation and non-parametric tests.

The mean MMAS-8 Score was 6.82±1.32. High adherence was observed in 29.6% of patients, intermediate adherence in 48.8% and low adherence in 21.6%. Lower adherence was more frequent among patients in the lower age quartiles. No significant associations were observed between adherence and sex, disease duration, disease activity indices or treatment class.

Medication adherence in BS appeared generally satisfactory, although a relevant proportion of patients reported suboptimal adherence. These findings confirm, in a BS-specific real-world setting, previously reported associations between age and medication adherence observed in chronic diseases. Routine adherence assessment may help identify patients at higher risk of poor treatment compliance and support personalised management strategies.