title: High degree of nonadherence to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test medication adherence using the Compliance-Questionnaire-Rheumatology (CQR).
  
  
  METHODS
  Invitation letter and CQR were sent to 240 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Followup CQR was sent 3 months later. Adherence was evaluated using CQR 80% cutoff scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-eight patients who were being treated with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs provided full information on the CQR at both points in time. Eleven patients (14.1%) were classified as adherent based on taking compliance (TC), with only 3 patients (3.8%) adherent in regard to correct dosing (CD) [followup: 13 (16.7%) and 3 (3.8%) for TC and CD, respectively]. Nonadherence was not related to disease activity or side effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We demonstrated low adherence, suggesting differences between doctors' records and patients' practice of antirheumatic drug therapy.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Internal Medicine 3 and the Institute for Clinical Immunology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany; and the Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.V. Rauscher, Medical Student; M. Englbrecht, Dipl.-Psych. Univ.; G. Schett, MD, Professor; A.J. Hueber, MD, PhD, Department of Internal Medicine 3 and Institute for Clinical Immunology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg; D. van der Heijde, MD, Professor, Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center.
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rauscher
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Internal Medicine 3 and the Institute for Clinical Immunology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany; and the Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.V. Rauscher, Medical Student; M. Englbrecht, Dipl.-Psych. Univ.; G. Schett, MD, Professor; A.J. Hueber, MD, PhD, Department of Internal Medicine 3 and Institute for Clinical Immunology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg; D. van der Heijde, MD, Professor, Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Englbrecht
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Internal Medicine 3 and the Institute for Clinical Immunology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany; and the Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.V. Rauscher, Medical Student; M. Englbrecht, Dipl.-Psych. Univ.; G. Schett, MD, Professor; A.J. Hueber, MD, PhD, Department of Internal Medicine 3 and Institute for Clinical Immunology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg; D. van der Heijde, MD, Professor, Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center.
authors.forename: Désirée
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: van der Heijde
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Internal Medicine 3 and the Institute for Clinical Immunology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany; and the Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.V. Rauscher, Medical Student; M. Englbrecht, Dipl.-Psych. Univ.; G. Schett, MD, Professor; A.J. Hueber, MD, PhD, Department of Internal Medicine 3 and Institute for Clinical Immunology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg; D. van der Heijde, MD, Professor, Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center.
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schett
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Internal Medicine 3 and the Institute for Clinical Immunology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany; and the Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.V. Rauscher, Medical Student; M. Englbrecht, Dipl.-Psych. Univ.; G. Schett, MD, Professor; A.J. Hueber, MD, PhD, Department of Internal Medicine 3 and Institute for Clinical Immunology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg; D. van der Heijde, MD, Professor, Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center. axel.hueber@uk-erlangen.de.
authors.forename: Axel J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hueber
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016903:Drug Monitoring
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents
keywords: ADHERENCE; COMPLIANCE; CQR; DISEASE-MODIFYING ANTIRHEUMATIC DRUGS; RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS