NONCOMPLIANCE WITH THE TREATMENT REGIMEN IN ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS: PREVALENCE, SEVERITY, CORRELATIONS
The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence and severity of disagreement with the treatment (noncompliance) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in conjunction with the features of the clinical course of the disease and psychosocial factors. The prevalence and the noncompliance severity level were investigated in 90 AS patients (study group) and 45 patients with non-inflammatory type of pain in the lower back (control) by the questionnaire, developed by one of the authors. Correlational analysis of noncompliance levels links with clinical laboratory and socio-demographic factors was performed for AS patients. The prevalence and severity of noncompliance was significantly higher in AS patients vs controls. Significant positive correlations of noncompliance levels were found for the age of AS diagnosis, and the most power correlation - for the time interval between the age of AS onset and age of AS diagnosis. Conclusion. The high noncompliance prevalence and levels in AS patients in the form of deviations from the recommended medical treatment requires the development of appropriate psychosocial interventions and measures for the early diagnosis of AS.