Comparison of patient adherence and treatment response in patients with chronic viral hepatitis: results of a 48-week observational study

Viral hepatitis is one of the significant health problems in the world. The main purpose of treatment is virological eradication. There are many factors that determine treatment response. The most important factor that can be affected is treatment adherence. In our study, we aimed to compare compliance with treatment response, which is one of the factors that can be affected in chronic viral hepatitis patients. We highlight that this element should be considered in treatment failures, especially in chronic diseases that require long-term treatment. Materials and Methods: Chronic hepatitis patients over 18 years of age and under 65 years of age, who were neither co-infected with Human immunodeficiency virusnor pregnant, were prospectively analyzed after receiving ethics committee approval. Treatment adherence was defined as taking the prescribed medication in the required number of doses and for the required duration. Drug count and questionnaires were used in the compliance assessment. Patients' compliance and patients' 12, 24, 36, and 48th-week virological responses were compared. Results: Seventy-six patients were included in the study. Sixty point five percent of patients had chronic hepatitis B, and 39.5% had chronic hepatitis C. According to the drug count data, it was determined that 83.9% of the patients did not take their treatment during at least one visit. At the end of the treatment (48th-week follow-up), 89.4% of all chronic hepatitis patients were compliant and 92.6% of the compliant patients responded to the treatment. Five out of eight non-compliant patients, accounting for 62.5%, were able to respond to the treatment. Response rates of compliant and non-compliant patients to treatment were found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: Non-adherence to treatment in chronic viral hepatitis is infrequent. Given the increased risk of virological failure in poorly adherent patients, clinicians should keep in mind adherence issues in every patient treated for viral hepatitis.