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Treatment Adherence and Beliefs About Medicines Among Egyptian Vitiligo Patients

Research Authors
Mostafa A. Sayed Ali, Doaa A. E. Abou-Taleb, Refaat Ragheb Mohamed
Research Department
Research Journal
Dermatologic Therapy, DOI 10.1111/dth.12397
Research Publisher
NULL
Research Rank
1
Research Vol
Vol. 29
Research Website
NULL
Research Year
2016
Research Abstract

Vitiligo is a chronic disorder of depigmentation that has different treatment modalities, butpatients’ nonadherence is common. This study aimed to assess the influence of patients’ medication beliefs on patients’ adherence to topical, oral medications, and phototherapy in vitiligo. Between September 2015 and February 2016, 260 patients with vitiligo were asked to fill in theBeliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ) to assess their beliefs about therapy for vitiligo.Their adherence to the therapy was examined using the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8). Results: The MMAS-8 scale and BMQ had good internal consistency (Cronbach’s a 50.78 and 0.66, respectively). Using Morisky’s recommended cutoff point, 71% of patients were categorized as low or nonadherent to the scheduled therapy. Patients who perceived specific necessity of dermatological medicines significantly adhered to their therapy (OR 1.23; 95% CI 1.09, 1.38; p = 0.001) whereas patients who had specific concerns about the adverse effects exhibited significant low adherence (OR 0.65; 95% CI 0.56, 0.76; p<0.001). Conclusion: Positive beliefs about the necessity of medications in vitiligo do not necessarily reflect high adherence. Patients’ adherence behavior is a multidimensional and dynamic process. The prolonged course of treatment, its cost, and unsatisfactory outcomes influenced the patients’ adherence.