Pulmonary medication adherence among children and adults with cystic fibrosis: Is there an association with disease severity?

摘要

Abstract Background Adherence to pulmonary medication is pivotal in delaying the progression of lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF). Further exploring the consequences of poor adherence and its impact on disease severity may be valuable to personalize CF treatment strategy. Aim To evaluate indicators of disease severity among children and adults with CF and investigate which of them are related to pulmonary medication adherence. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study. Data of children and adults followed up in one pediatric and one adult CF Unit were evaluated over 4 years. Disease severity was assessed by measuring body mass index (BMI), lung function, history of pulmonary exacerbations, and medication complexity. Adherence was assessed by calculating a 12‐month medication possession ratio (MPR) for each pulmonary medication and then averaged for a composite MPR (cMPR) for each patient. Regression analysis was performed to explore the association of adherence with disease severity. Results Ninety‐five patients were included in our study, 52 children and 43 adults. The overall cMPR was 0.74 (SD?=?0.25); 0.68 (SD?=?0.24) for children and 0.81 (SD?=?0.24) for adults. Adults presented higher adherence, with overall mean cMPR 0.81 (SD?=?0.24) compared to children with mean cMPR 0.68 (SD?=?0.24) (p?