The Influence of Individual Factors on Adherence to Treatment in Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of individual factors on adherence to treatment in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The study included 82 patients diagnosed with PAD (Fontaine IIa, IIb) and treated at the Clinic for Vascular Surgery of the University Clinical Center Niš, during the period from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020. We found a significant correlation between the degree of adherence to treatment and health-related quality of life in patients with PAD. Patients with a medium and high degree of adherence had a significantly higher quality of life compared to the respondents with a low degree of adherence. The chi-square test of independence showed a significant correlation between obesity (P = 0.007) and the number of medications in therapy (P < 0.001) with adherence to therapy in patients with PAD. Adherence was statistically significantly influenced by obesity and the number of medications in therapy, while sex, age, smoking, diabetes, dyslipidemia, the number of risk factors, and type of therapeutic modality did not show this association.