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Objective: To evaluate adherence to medication and study factors associated with nonadherence in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional, questionnaire based study was conducted in Nephrology department of a super specialty hospital. Patients above 18 years of age, suffering from CKD from six months or more were interviewed using self-designed, semi-structured questionnaire to get information about adherence to medication, diet restriction and lifestyle modification (n = 150). Morisky medication adherence questionnaire was used to calculate overall adherence. In this higher score indicates poor adherence. Main outcome measures included prevalence of non-adherence and factors associated with the same. Results: Average number of medicines taken by each patient was 8.0+1.612 (mean+SD) per day. Non-adherence to medication schedule was reported in 34% patients. Common causes of non-adherence were high cost (21.3%), complex dosing schedule (20%), fear of adverse effects (16%). Sixty-eight% patients were not aware about importance of taking each medicine. Sixteen% stopped taking medicines due to high cost. Forty-two% suggested that government should adopt measures to provide free medicines to poor patients. In Morisky medication adherence questionnaire high, medium and low adherence was reported in 7.3%, 55.3% and 37.3% of patients, respectively. Moderately positive correlation was observed between poor adherence and number of concurrent illnesses and number of medicines taken. Conclusion: Since majority of patients were not aware about importance of taking each medicine, creating awareness about the same is essential for improving adherence to therapy. Measures to provide free medicines to non-affording patients need to be implemented since high cost was other major cause of non-adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate adherence to medication and study factors associated with nonadherence in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional, questionnaire based study was conducted in Nephrology department of a super specialty hospital. Patients above 18 years of age, suffering from CKD from six months or more were interviewed using self-designed, semi-structured questionnaire to get information about adherence to medication, diet restriction and lifestyle modification (n = 150). Morisky medication adherence questionnaire was used to calculate overall adherence. In this higher score indicates poor adherence. Main outcome measures included prevalence of non-adherence and factors associated with the same. Results: Average number of medicines taken by each patient was 8.0+1.612 (mean+SD) per day. Non-adherence to medication schedule was reported in 34% patients. Common causes of non-adherence were high cost (21.3%), complex dosing schedule (20%), fear of adverse effects (16%). Sixty-eight% patients were not aware about importance of taking each medicine. Sixteen% stopped taking medicines due to high cost. Forty-two% suggested that government should adopt measures to provide free medicines to poor patients. In Morisky medication adherence questionnaire high, medium and low adherence was reported in 7.3%, 55.3% and 37.3% of patients, respectively. Moderately positive correlation was observed between poor adherence and number of concurrent illnesses and number of medicines taken. Conclusion: Since majority of patients were not aware about importance of taking each medicine, creating awareness about the same is essential for improving adherence to therapy. Measures to provide free medicines to non-affording patients need to be implemented since high cost was other major cause of non-adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Health-related quality of life (QOL) is an important outcome in epilepsy treatment. Very few studies have been carried out on the quality of life in epilepsy (QOLIE-31) in India. The present study aimed to determine the level of health-related QOLIE-31 in patients of epilepsy. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Respondents were adults aged at least 18-year-old with a diagnosis of epilepsy. QOLIE-31 was used for collecting data on health-related QOL. The unpaired t-test or one-way analysis of variance was used to compare means of QOL scores between groups. Results: Totally, 60 patients of epilepsy were included in the study. The mean (standard deviation) total score of QOLIE-31 was 64.61. A score of cognitive and medication effect were significantly better in carbamazepine group as compared to valproate group. Conclusions: Patients on monotherapy had a better QOL as compared to patients receiving polytherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) suffer with multiple comorbidities and complications like secondary hyperparathyroidism and hyperphosphotemia. Altered mineral metabolism contributes to bone disease and cardiovascular disease. In patients of CKD, despite dietary phosphorus restriction, phosphate binders (PBs) are recommended to control phosphorous level. No studies about the utilization pattern of PBs in CKD patients have been reported from India. This study analyses the current prescribing trends in the management of CKD patients undergoing tertiary care with focus on PBs. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional, observational study was conducted in nephrology department of a government super speciality hospital over 8-month period from January to August 2011. Demographic, clinical, and medication details were collected in a specially designed proforma. Results: A total 111 prescriptions were included in the study. Average number of drugs per prescription was 9.47. About 41.53% of the prescribed drugs were from the World Health Organization essential medicines list. Out of total prescribed drugs (1052), most commonly prescribed were vitamins and minerals (24.71%), cardiovascular drugs, (22.14%), and hematopoietic agents (20.15%). Considering individual drugs, five most commonly prescribed drugs were multivitamins (14.82%), iron (8.65%), folic acid (8.55%), calcium carbonate (8.17%), and calcitriol (5.60%). A total of 11.02% of prescribed drug were PBs. Among PBs, calcium carbonate was the most frequently prescribed and sevelamer was the least prescribed PB. No patient was prescribed lanthanum carbonate. Conclusion: This study identified a wide variety of drug classes including PBs prescribed in CKD patients. Although sevelamer hydrochloride has less side effects as compared to calcium salts, it was less prescribed since it is costlier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]