Study on the Frequency and Factors Affecting Treatment Discontinuation in Gout Patients in Sari, 2023–2024

Background and purpose: One of the challenges in the treatment of gout is patient adherence to prescribed therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and factors influencing the discontinuation of uric acid-lowering treatment in gout patients during 2023-2024. Materials and methods: This study is a descriptive cross-sectional analysis conducted on 100 gout patients who visited clinics in Sari between 2023 and 2024. Demographic information, underlying conditions, and gout-related details, as well as the history of drug discontinuation during the course of the disease and in the past year, were reviewed. Adherence to treatment was defined as regular drug use for more than 80% of the days in the year. Descriptive and analytical statistics were performed using SPSS software, with the T-test and Chi-square test applied. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of the patients was 51.09 ± 15.5 years, and the mean duration of gout was 6.38± 8.1 years. Fifty-six patients had underlying conditions, and 41 patients had a history of kidney stones, either past or current. Fifty-three patients had discontinued one or both medications at some point during the course of their disease. Medication discontinuations in the previous year included anti-inflammatory drugs in 34 cases, uric acid-lowering drugs in 36 cases, and both drugs in 30 cases. The most common reason for medication discontinuation was the patient's perception of lack of necessity for the medication. The number of attacks was higher in the group with treatment discontinuation (P = 0.01) Conclusion: More than half of the patients discontinued medications during the course of the disease, and the adherence rate to uric acid-lowering medications over the past year was 64%. Physicians should place greater emphasis on ensuring the appropriate use of medications to effectively improve treatment adherence.