Non-compliance of drug therapy in diabetics - Experience at Lahore

Background: Diabetes is becoming a major health problem in Pakistan. However, there is no data about non-compliance of drug therapy in diabetics in Pakistan. Objective: To assess drug compliance in diabetic patients & their reasons for noncompliance. Setting: Lahore General Hospital, Lahore having a catchment area of poor population. Methods: Using a standard questionnaire administered by a doctor to diabetic adults over the age of 20 years, the degree of drug compliance and the reasons for noncompliance were assessed. Results: Of 163 diabetics studied, only 40% of the patients had good compliance with others having various degrees of non-compliance. Main reasons for stopping the drugs in 97 non-compliant patients were carelessness (51.6%), misbelief that diabetes is cured when there are no symptoms or when blood glucose becomes normal (50.5%), not being told about the chronic nature of the disease by the treating doctor (28.9%) and cost of treatment (25.8%). Conclusion: This study underscores the need for health education of the diabetic patients by general practitioners about the disease and the need for continuous treatment by the patients to avoid the manifold cost of treatment of complication of uncontrolled diabetes.