Research Article

Medication adherence, treatment persistence, and discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis: a single-center real-world study

Volume: 7 Number: 6 October 26, 2025
TR EN

Medication adherence, treatment persistence, and discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis: a single-center real-world study

Abstract

Aims: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management depends on sustained use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), yet adherence and persistence remain suboptimal in real life. Non-adherence may undermine disease control, while long-term therapy can increase infection risk. Data on these parameters in Turkish RA patients are scarce. Methods: In this retrospective study, 107 adults fulfilling 2010 American College of Rheumatology (ACR)-European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) RA criteria and followed ≥6 months at Hacettepe University were analyzed. Adherence, defined as intake of ≥80% prescribed DMARDs doses, was assessed via patient self-report and chart review. Persistence, discontinuation reasons, and clinical outcomes were documented. Disease activity was measured with disease activity score in 28 joints with C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP). Multivariate logistic regression identified predictors of non-adherence, discontinuation, and infection. Results: Overall, 28.0% reported irregular medication use, and 42.1% discontinued at least one conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs). Common non-adherence reasons were lack of routine (31.8%) and adverse effect concerns (27.3%). Independent predictors of non-adherence included longer follow-up (OR 1.040, 95% CI 1.005–1.076), higher baseline physician Visual Analog Scale (VAS) (OR 1.035, 95% CI 1.006–1.065), and hydroxychloroquine use (OR 4.733, 95% CI 1.450–15.543). Non adherence strongly predicted the discontinuation of at least one csDMARD (OR 9.22, 95% CI 2.12–39.87), while lower body-mass index (BMI) showed a borderline association with treatment discontinuation (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.76–1.00). Adherence was paradoxically associated with higher infection risk (OR 4.163, 95% CI 1.030–16.833). Sulfasalazine showed the highest discontinuation rate (80.0%) and shortest median retention (9.5 months). Conclusion: Non-adherence is frequent and closely linked to csDMARD discontinuation in RA, underscoring the need to address behavioral and perceptual barriers. The association between adherence and infections highlights the importance of vigilant monitoring in patients with prolonged immunosuppression. Drug-specific patterns suggest sulfasalazine may be less suitable for long-term therapy in this setting.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

none

Ethical Statement

The study was approved by the Hacettepe University Ethics Committee (Approval No: GO 22/877).

Thanks

none

References

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  5. Pope JE, Rampakakis E, Movahedi M, et al. Treatment patterns in rheumatoid arthritis after discontinuation of methotrexate: data from the Ontario Best Practices Research Initiative (OBRI). Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2018;36(2):215-222.
  6. Cruz BH, Garnica IU, Parera RS, et al. Disease-modifying antirheumatic drug prescription patterns in adult rheumatoid arthritis patients in routine clinical practice in Spain. Eur J Rheumatol. 2020;7(4):149-157. doi:10.5152/eurjrheum.2020.19053
  7. Yang Z, Alveyn E, Russell M, et al. Association of patient- and hospital-level predictors with patterns of initial treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: findings from a national cohort study. Rheumatology. 2025;64(6):3379-3387. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/keae717
  8. Dore RK, Antonova J, Huan H, Gorritz M, Genovese MC. Short duration of conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) before and after becoming a csDMARD inadequate responder in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Ann Rheum Dis. 2019;78:700. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2019-eular.1848

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Rheumatology and Arthritis

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

October 26, 2025

Submission Date

August 10, 2025

Acceptance Date

September 1, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 7 Number: 6

APA
Özsoy, Z., Ekici, M., Chousein, E., Şahan Güven, Ö., & Ertenli, İ. (2025). Medication adherence, treatment persistence, and discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis: a single-center real-world study. Anatolian Current Medical Journal, 7(6), 716-724. https://doi.org/10.38053/acmj.1761804
AMA
1.Özsoy Z, Ekici M, Chousein E, Şahan Güven Ö, Ertenli İ. Medication adherence, treatment persistence, and discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis: a single-center real-world study. Anatolian Curr Med J / ACMJ / acmj. 2025;7(6):716-724. doi:10.38053/acmj.1761804
Chicago
Özsoy, Zehra, Mustafa Ekici, Emrach Chousein, Özlem Şahan Güven, and İhsan Ertenli. 2025. “Medication Adherence, Treatment Persistence, and Discontinuation in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Single-Center Real-World Study”. Anatolian Current Medical Journal 7 (6): 716-24. https://doi.org/10.38053/acmj.1761804.
EndNote
Özsoy Z, Ekici M, Chousein E, Şahan Güven Ö, Ertenli İ (October 1, 2025) Medication adherence, treatment persistence, and discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis: a single-center real-world study. Anatolian Current Medical Journal 7 6 716–724.
IEEE
[1]Z. Özsoy, M. Ekici, E. Chousein, Ö. Şahan Güven, and İ. Ertenli, “Medication adherence, treatment persistence, and discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis: a single-center real-world study”, Anatolian Curr Med J / ACMJ / acmj, vol. 7, no. 6, pp. 716–724, Oct. 2025, doi: 10.38053/acmj.1761804.
ISNAD
Özsoy, Zehra - Ekici, Mustafa - Chousein, Emrach - Şahan Güven, Özlem - Ertenli, İhsan. “Medication Adherence, Treatment Persistence, and Discontinuation in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Single-Center Real-World Study”. Anatolian Current Medical Journal 7/6 (October 1, 2025): 716-724. https://doi.org/10.38053/acmj.1761804.
JAMA
1.Özsoy Z, Ekici M, Chousein E, Şahan Güven Ö, Ertenli İ. Medication adherence, treatment persistence, and discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis: a single-center real-world study. Anatolian Curr Med J / ACMJ / acmj. 2025;7:716–724.
MLA
Özsoy, Zehra, et al. “Medication Adherence, Treatment Persistence, and Discontinuation in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Single-Center Real-World Study”. Anatolian Current Medical Journal, vol. 7, no. 6, Oct. 2025, pp. 716-24, doi:10.38053/acmj.1761804.
Vancouver
1.Zehra Özsoy, Mustafa Ekici, Emrach Chousein, Özlem Şahan Güven, İhsan Ertenli. Medication adherence, treatment persistence, and discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis: a single-center real-world study. Anatolian Curr Med J / ACMJ / acmj. 2025 Oct. 1;7(6):716-24. doi:10.38053/acmj.1761804

 

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