Medication non-adherence in inflammatory bowel diseases is associated with disability

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Medication non-adherence is common in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). The short-term consequences of non-adherence include increased disease relapse but the long-term impact upon patients in terms of daily functional impairment are less well characterized. Identifying negative outcomes, such as disability, may encourage adherence. METHODS: Consecutive ambulatory IBD subjects completed the Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS; non-adherence defined as ≤16), Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Disability Index (IBD-DI; disability: < 3.5) and Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (high necessity/concerns: ≥16). The primary outcome was the association between medication non-adherence and disability. Secondary outcomes were the predictors of these outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 173 subjects on IBD maintenance medications were recruited (98 Crohn’s disease, 75 ulcerative colitis: median IBD-DI, –5.0; interquartile range [IQR], –14.0 to 4.0 and median MARS, 19.0; IQR, 18 to 20) of whom 24% were non-adherent. Disability correlated significantly with medication non-adherence (r=0.38, P < 0.0001). Median IBD-DI for non-adherers was significantly lower than adherers (–16.0 vs. –2.0, P < 0.0001). Predictors of disability included female sex (P=0.002), previous hospitalization (P=0.023), management in a referral hospital clinic (P=0.008) and medication concerns (P < 0.0001). Non-adherence was independently associated with difficulty managing bowel movements (odds ratio [OR], 3.71; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.50–9.16, P=0.005), rectal bleeding (OR, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.14–6.36; P=0.024) and arthralgia/arthritis (OR, 2.56; 95% CI, 1.11–5.92; P=0.028). CONCLUSIONS: Medication non-adherence was associated with significantly increased disability in IBD. Female gender, higher disease severity and medication concerns were additional predictors of disability.

Consensus recommendations for patient-centered therapy in mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis: the i Support Therapy–Access to Rapid Treatment (iSTART) approach

Symptomatic ulcerative colitis (UC) can be a chronic, disabling condition. Flares in disease activity are associated with many of the negative impacts of mild-to-moderate UC. Rapid resolution of flares can provide benefits to patients and healthcare systems. i Support Therapy–Access to Rapid Treatment (iSTART) introduces patient-centered care for mild-to-moderate UC. iSTART provides patients with the ability to self-assess symptomology and self-start a short course of second-line treatment when necessary. An international panel of experts produced consensus statements and recommendations. These were informed by evidence from systematic reviews on the epidemiology, mesalazine (5-ASA) treatment, and patient use criteria for second-line therapy in UC. Optimized 5-ASA is the first-line treatment in all clinical guidelines, but may not be sufficient to induce remission in all patients. Corticosteroids should be prescribed as second-line therapy when needed, with budesonide MMX® being a preferred steroid option. Active involvement of suitable patients in management of UC flares has the potential to improve therapy, with patients able to show good accuracy for flare self-assessment using validated tools. There is a place in the UC treatment pathway for an approach such as iSTART, which has the potential to provide patient, clinical and economic benefits.