Ab0711 Assessment of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients’ Adherence to Treatment and Related Factors

Background: Low therapeutic compliance is one of the main causes of therapeutic failure in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Objectives: Our study aimed to measure adherence to treatment among patients suffering from RA and assess the associated factors. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted among patients suffering from RA diagnosed based on ACR/EULAR 2010 criteria. Disease Activity Score-28, Visual Analog Scale for pain (VAS pain) and functional disability (HAQ) were assessed. Socio-demographic characteristics and medication types in RA were determined. A questionnaire was used to measure adherence using the 8-item Morisky's scale. A general score of less than 8 defined low adherence to treatment. Results: A total of 65 RA patients were enrolled with a female predominance of 92.3 %. The median age was 54.2 ±12 years 24-80 and the mean duration of disease was 12.6 ± 7.7 years 6 months- 37. The average DAS 28 was 3.1 ± 1.2 1.1-6.3. The VAS pain and HAQ scores were respectively 19.5 ± 21 0-90 mm and 0.7± 0.5 0-2 on average. CsDMARDs; corticosteroids and biotherapy were prescribed in 100%; 87.7% and 15.4 % of cases respectively. According to Morisky's scale, low adherence was observed in 27% of cases (n=17). Statistical analysis showed that the low adherence to treatment was associated with severe activity stage (p=0.004) and higher VAS pain (p=0.006). However, no correlation was found between low adherence and the following parameters: age (p=0.8); gender (p=0.6); HAQ level (p=0.9); socioeconomic level (p=0.7) and intellectual level (p=0.1). Conclusion: Our study reveals a low adherence in 27 % of cases with significant association with pain and severe activity. So, it's necessary to act on these parameters to increase treatment adherence. REFERENCES: NIL. Acknowledgements: NIL. Disclosure of Interests: None declared.