Treatment adherence of outpatients with newly diagnosed gout

期刊連結：http://www.gouthyperuricemia.com

Objective: To investigate the adherence to treatment in newly diagnosed gout patients in the Chinese population and to explore factors associated with non-adherence and interventions to improve gout management.
Methods: Outpatients, newly diagnosed with primary gout from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2013, were recruited in this study. Visit records (including prescription information) of a 12-months follow-up after the diagnosis were collected from the dataset.
Results: 897 patients were enrolled in the study. 306 patients (34.11%) didn’t start urate-lowering therapy (ULT) and 356 (39.69%) had no subsequent follow up visits. The mean duration of ULT was 1.89 ± 2.69 months and the mean number of visits was 3.19 ± 3.16 times. After adjustment, the following factors were determined to improve management of gout: comorbid conditions, revisit within 30 days after the first one, visit at a specialized clinic for gout, and combined usage of urate-lowering drugs (ULDs).
Conclusion: Non-adherence to treatment amongst newly diagnosed gouty patients is extremely common in the Chinese population, especially in those with mild conditions. Patient education in early stage of the disease was essential for better management.