Abstract Background Currently, the concept of deep remission in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) includes not only achieving clinical remission, but also endoscopic healing of the colon mucosa and normalization of laboratory markers of inflammation. Aim: To evaluate the increase in adherence to drug therapy through psychological support to achieve endoscopic remission. Methods Medical support for patients with UC in the Department of IBD was provided by a medical psychologist. Of the 1,000 patients with UC who underwent a questionnaire to assess adherence to drug therapy, 874 (87.4%) patients were re-interviewed and clinical laboratory and instrumental studies were performed after 6 months after discharge from the hospital. Among the 874 patients who underwent repeated questioning, 498 (56.9%) had low adherence to drug therapy. 180 (20.6%) patients with UC with low adherence to drug therapy had psychological support, 318 (79.4%) patients from the low-adherence group did not have psychological support. Results According to a repeated survey of patients with UC in the group with psychological support, the level of adherence increased by 22.48%. 112 (62.2%) patients according to the Morisky-Green questionnaire had a high commitment to drug therapy after remedial sessions with a medical psychologist, 68 (37.8%) patients with UC maintained low adherence to drug therapy. therapy. In the group of patients without psychological support, according to repeated questionnaires, the level of adherence increased by 8.8%: out of 318 patients, only 44 (13.8%) increased their adherence to drug therapy, while 274 (86.2%) maintained low adherence to drug therapy (OR - 10.108; 95% CI - 6.527- 15.654; x2 - 122.848; p 0.001). According to our data, there were also differences in endoscopic healing of the colon mucosa in the groups of patients with and without psychological support. Of the 180 patients in the group with psychological support, 85 (47.2%) patients had endoscopic mucosal healing (Meyo 0), and 99 (31.1%) patients in the group without psychological support (OR - 1.979; 95% CI 1.358 - 2.885; x2 - 12.092; p 0.001). Conclusion Increased adherence to drug therapy through psychological support promotes Mucosal Healing. Conflict of interest: Gorodetskaya, Anait: No conflict of interest Prof. Knyazev, Oleg: No conflict of interest Kagramanova, Anna Valeryevna:
Gorodetskaya et al. (Thu,) studied this question.