title: Determinants of compliance in epileptic patients.
abstract: A questionnaire was filled out by 270 epileptic outpatients responsible for taking their own medication to assess the extent of drug compliance-adherence and look for factors associated with poor compliance. Eighty-six patients (31.8%) were considered non-compliers. Significant factors for non-compliance were a duration of disease from 10 to 20 years, a low frequency of seizures and a drug intake considered as very bothersome. Neither sex nor age at onset, nor age at survey, nor type of epilepsy were different in compliers and non-compliers. Stopping medication to see if one is cured was more frequent in women than in men and a fear of drug toxicity was more frequent in patients over 30 years old.
authors.affiliation: Clinique Neurologique, Université de Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Loiseau
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marchal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants