Association of adherence to therapy and complementary and alternative medicine use with demographic factors and disease phenotype in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Background and aims: Previous studies have suggested an increasing use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Furthermore, a significant number of IBD patients fail to comply with treatment. The aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of non-adherence and the use of CAM in Hungarian patients with IBD. Methods: A total of 655 consecutive IBD patients (CD: 344, age: 38.2 [SD 12.9] years; UC: 311, age: 44.9 [15.3] years) were interviewed during the specialist visit by self-administered questionnaire including demographic and disease-related data as well as items analyzing the extent of non-adherence and CAM use. Patients taking more than 80% of each prescribed medication were classified as adherent

A terápiás adherencia, valamint a komplementer és alternatív gyógymódok használata gyulladásos bélbetegek kezelésében = Treatment adherence and use of complementary and alternative medicine in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Az utóbbi évek tanulmányai a komplementer és alternatív gyógymódok (CAM) egyre gyakoribb alkalmazásáról tudósítanak gyulladásos bélbetegségben (IBD). Ugyanakkor az is egyre nyilvánvalóbb, hogy a betegek jelentős hányada nem tartja be az orvos előírásait. A tanulmány célja a terápiás nonadherencia és a CAM-alkalmazás gyakoriságának felmérése volt hazai IBD-betegekben. Módszer: multicentrikus vizsgálatban 655 IBD-beteg [Crohn-beteg (CD): 344, átlagos életkor: 38,2 (SD 12,9) év; colitis ulcerosa (UC): 311, átlagos életkor: 44,9 (SD 15,3) év] töltött ki a szokásos szakorvosi vizit során a demográfiai adatokra, gyógyszer-adherenciára és CAM-ra vonatkozó kérdőívet. A klinikai adatokat a kezelőorvos egészítette ki a betegdokumentáció alapján. Amennyiben a beteg az előírt gyógyszerek több mint 80%-át bevette, adherensnek tekintettük. Eredmények: a betegek által önként jelzett nonadherencia (CD: 20,9%, UC: 20,6%) és CAM (CD: 31,7%, UC: 30,9%) használata CD-ben és UC-ben nem tért el. A nonadherencia leggyakoribb okai: feledékenység (47,8%), túl sok/feleslegesnek gondolt gyógyszer (39,7%), mellékhatásoktól való félelem (27,9%), túl gyakori adagolás. A CAM leggyakoribb formája a gyógytea (47,3%), a homeopátia (14,6%), a speciális diéta (12,2%) és az akupunktúra (5,8%) volt. CD-ben a betegségtartam, az utolsó vizittől eltelt idő, az alacsonyabb iskolázottsági szint és a megelőző műtétek voltak a nonadherenciára hajlamosító tényezők. Az alternatív módszerek használata fiatalabb életkorban, magasabb iskolázottsági szint és immunszuppresszív szer szedése esetén volt jellemző. UC-ben ezenfelül a CAM igénybevétele gyakoribb volt nők és pszichiátriai/pszichológiai kezelés alatt állók körében. Következtetés: a nonadherencia és az alternatív gyógymódok igénybevétele gyakori IBD-ben. Az ellenőrző vizitek során különös figyelmet kell fordítani a hajlamosító tényezők feltárására, a betegek együttműködésének és az orvos–beteg kapcsolatnak a javítására. | Previous studies have suggested an increasing use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Furthermore, a significant number of IBD patients fail to comply with treatment. The aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of non-adherence the use of CAM in Hungarian patients with IBD. Methods: A total of 655 consecutive IBD patients (Crohn’s disease [CD]: 344, age: 38.2±12.9 years; ulcerative colitis [UC]: 311, age: 44.9±15.3 years) were interviewed during the visit at specialists by self-administered questionnaire including demographic and disease-related data, as well as items analyzing the extent of non-adherence and CAM use. Patients taking more then 80% of each prescribed medicine were classified as adherent. Results: The overall rate of self reported non-adherence (CD: 20.9%, UC: 20.6%) and CAM (CD: 31.7%, UC: 30.9%) use was not different between CD and UC. The most common causes of non-adherence were: forgetfulness (47.8%), too many/unnecessary pills (39.7%), being afraid of side effects (27.9%) and too frequent dosing. Most common forms of CAM were herbal tee (47.3%), homeopathy (14.6%), special diet (12.2%), and acupuncture (5.8%). In CD, disease duration, date of last follow-up visit, educational level and previous surgeries were predicting factors for non-adherence. Alternative medicine use was associated in both diseases with younger age, higher educational level and immunosuppressant use. In addition, CAM use in UC was more common in females and in patients with supportive psychiatric/psychological therapy. Conclusions: Non-adherence and CAM use is common in patients with IBD. Special attention should be paid to explore the identified predictive factors during follow-up visits to improve adherence to therapy and improving patient-doctor relationship

Efficacy and safety of infliximab induction therapy in Crohn's Disease in Central Europe - a Hungarian nationwide observational study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Infliximab (IFX) has proven to be an effective addition to the therapeutic arsenal for refractory, fistulizing, and steroid dependent Crohn's disease (CD), with efficacy in the induction and maintenance of clinical remission of CD. Our objective in this study is to report the nationwide, multicenter experience with IFX induction therapy for CD in Hungary.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>During a 6-year-period, beginning in 2000, a total of 363 CD patients were treated with IFX as induction therapy (5 mg/kg IFX infusions given at week 0, 2 and 6) at eleven centers in Hungary in this observational study. Data analysis included patient demographics, important disease parameters and the outcome of IFX induction therapy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Three hundred and sixty three patients (183 women and 180 men) were treated with IFX since 2000. Mean age was 33.5 ± 11.2 years and the mean duration of disease was 6.7 ± 6.1 years. The population included 114 patients (31.4%) with therapy-refractory CD, 195 patients (53.7%) with fistulas, 16 patients (4.4%) with both therapy-refractory CD and fistulas, and 26 patients (7.2%) with steroid dependent CD. Overall response rate was 86.2% (313/363). A higher response rate was observed in patients with shorter disease duration (p = 0.05, OR:0.54, 95%CI:0.29-0.99) and concomitant immunosuppressant therapy (p = 0.05, OR: 2.03, 95%CI:0.165-0.596). Concomitant steroid treatment did not enhance the efficacy of IFX induction therapy. Adverse events included 34 allergic reactions (9.4%), 17 delayed type hypersensitivity (4.7%), 16 infections (4.4%), and 3 malignancies (0.8%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>IFX was safe and effective treatment in this cohort of Hungarian CD patients. Based on our experience co-administration of immunosuppressant therapy is suggested in patients receiving IFX induction therapy. However, concomitant steroid treatment did not enhanced the efficacy of IFX induction therapy.</p