Patterns of drug taking in patients with chronic airflow obstruction

Abstract

Summary:A questionnaire on the pattern of drug taking was completed by 185 patients with chronic airflow obstruction. Of these, 49% admitted to taking their prescribed therapy regularly and 33% could be regarded as being fully compliant. The use ofincreasing numbers ofdrugs was not accompanied by a fall in compliance. Regular drug taking was better in patients (particularly females) with asthma than in patients with chronic bronchitis and emphysema. During acute exacerbations of airflow obstruction, excessive use of bronchodilators beyond the recommended increase in medication was rare; indeed, underuse of therapy in this situation was commoner. These conclusions must be regarded as tentative since the questionnaire was not validated by repeat interviewing or measurement of drug usage.

Factors Influencing Adherence to Treatment in COPD Patients and Its Relationship with Disease Exacerbations

“…Whereas in one study women followed medical recommendations better [41], in others, similarly as in the present study, such differences were not found [16,22,40]. Patient age was not a factor that allowed prediction of adherence to treatment either.…”

“…A complicated dosage schedule of a large number of drugs creates favourable conditions to omit drug doses or intentionally modify medical recommendations. Although in some research projects, dependence between the number of prescribed drugs and adherence to treatment was not shown [22,37,41], other studies found that such a dependence may exist [16]. Dosage form is also of crucial importance.…”

A Cross-Sectional Study of Medication Adherence Pattern and Factors Affecting the Adherence in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

“…Although the primary cause of COPD is tobacco smoke, passive smoking also carries serious risks, especially for children and those chronically exposed to smoke. 28 WHO also estimates that passive smoking is associated with a 10 to 43 percent increase in risk of COPD in adults. 28 In addition, another reason for prevalence of COPD among nonsmokers might be due to the use of biomass fuels especially in rural areas.…”

Avaliação da eficácia clínica, aceitabilidade e preferência de dois sistemas inalatórios de beclometasona no tratamento da asma: Pulvinal® versus Aeroliser®

“…Although efficacious drugs for asthma control are available, long-term noncompliance with treatment (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10) , as in other chronic diseases, decreases the effectiveness of such treatments significantly, resulting in higher morbidity and mortality (11)(12)(13) . It is known that approximately half of the patients with asthma use the prescribed medication effectively (14)(15) , and there is a direct correlation between noncompliance with inhaled corticosteroid treatment and uncontrolled asthma (16) .…”