ABSTRACT
Background: Non-adherence to medication schedules by patients with chronic illnesses can have serious consequences, including poor clinical outcomes, higher hospitalization rates, and increased healthcare costs. Hypothyroidism is a chronic illness with simple treatment, yet non-compliance is common.
Aims: This study aimed to evaluate treatment adherence to levothyroxine therapy in Lebanese population by estimating the proportion of adherent hypothyroidism patients and assess factors affecting the adherence to treatment.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey between May and July 2015 included 337 patients. Patients were approached by a community pharmacist during their visit to buy their levothyroxine drug and were asked to fill the questionnaire.
Results: Among these patients, 14.5% showed high adherence, 30.6% medium adherence, and 54.9% low adherence to medication. The mean adherence score was 5.53 ± 1.86 points. The results of a logistic regression showed that age [ORa=1.036], visiting the endocrinologist once every month [ORa=27.77], and the fact that the physician gave the patient information about the disease [ORa=2.898] would significantly increase the adherence to the medication. In addition, having one [ORa=0.365] or two comorbidities [ORa=0.232] in addition to hypothyroidism, postponing/cancelling medical appointments at the last minute [ORa=0.358], the number of waterpipe smoked per week [ORa=0.621] and the number of alcohol glasses drunk per week [ORa=0.631] would significantly decrease the adherence score.
Conclusion: Educational programmes should be implemented, doctor-patient and pharmacist-patient relationship could be improved and new treatment regimens be considered in order to enhance patient adherence
ABSTRACT
Objective To extract and identify the chemical composition of the polysaccharide isolated from the Eucalyptus cultivated in Lebanon and to evaluate its antioxidant activity. Materials The water-soluble polysaccharide was isolated from Eucalyptus leaves, and its structure was identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance. The antioxidant activity of the active ingredient was screened for its radical scavenging ability using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl radical (DPPH) test. Results The results of the DPPH test have shown that fucoidan, the polysaccharide isolated from Eucalyptus, exhibited almost the same antioxidant activity against DPPH· as the ascorbic acid did at 100 μg/mL. Conclusions This natural molecule extracted from a medicinal plant has a promising antioxidant activity and could be used in pharmaceutical and medical applications.
ABSTRACT
The main objective of this study was to identify the risk factors of dyslipidemia and measure its impact on patients' quality of life [QOL]. Secondary objectives were to determine the percentage of dyslipidemia and assess the predictive factors affecting patients' QOL. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of Lebanese population. A standardized questionnaire was developed to assess the QOL using the Short form-36 [SF-36] score. A total of 452 individuals were interviewed, of which 59.5% were females. The mean age was 43.3 +/- 15.6 years, and 24.8% had dyslipidemia. The results show a lower overall QOL score among dyslipidemic patients compared with controls [57.9% and 76.5%, respectively; p < 0.001]. Waterpipe smoking [adjusted odds ratio [OR[a]] = 4.113, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.696-9.971, p = 0.002], hypertension [OR[a] = 3.597, 95% CI: 1.818-7.116, p < 0.001], diabetes [OR[a] = 3.441, 95% CI: 1.587-7.462, p = 0.002], cigarette smoking [OR[a] = 2.966, 95% CI: 1.516-5.804, p = 0.001], and passive smoking [OR[a] = 2.716, 95% CI: 1.376- 5.358, p = 0.004] were significantly associated with dyslipidemia in individuals older than 30 years. A higher overall QOL score [p = 0.013] was observed in patients treated with statins in comparison with other lipid-lowering medications. In addition to clinical and economical consequences, dyslipidemia may have a significant impact on patients' QOL. Further research is needed to confirm the impact of treatment on dyslipidemic patients' QOL in order to maximize the overall benefits of therapy