| DOI: https://doi.org/10.14456/mujps.2016.6 | Pharm Sci Asia 2016; 43(2), 55-62 |
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate as an indicator of compliance of rheumatoid arthritis patients: a case study in West Java, IndonesiaN.M. Saptarini*, M.S. Wibowo, T. Gusdinar
1 School of Pharmacy, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung, Indonesia
2 Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor, Indonesia
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease which characterized by chronic inflammation. The medicines used to control inflammation. The compliance of the RA patients in medicines consumption can be assessed from the incidence of inflammation. The inflammation observed through erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). The purpose of this study was to determine whether the ESR can be used as an indicator of compliance of RA patients in West Java, Indonesia. The subjects who participated in this study are patients who visit the private hospital or the community health centers in West Java, Indonesia. ESR was determined by the modified Westergren’s method. The compliance was evaluated based on how subjects reported to have taken their prescribed medications. Subjects consisted of 36.66% of men and 63.63% of women. All patients received a combination of disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and/or low dose corticosteroids. The compliance patients was 18.18% (ESR was 35.00 ± 17.80 mm/h), the non-compliant patients was 50.00% (ESR was ranging from 25 mm/h to 50 mm/h), and patients with uncomplete medications because of drug unavailability was 31.82% (ESR was 40.00 ± 9.57 mm/h). This ESR value is higher than the normal. Statistical analysis showed that there is no correlation between compliance and ESR for all RA patients (rho = -0.235, n = 22) and for patients with progressive RA (rho = - 0.134, n = 8), but there is a correlation between compliance and ESR for patients with non progressive RA (rho = -0.792, n = 8). This study concluded that the ESR can be used as an indicator of the compliance of patients with non-progressive RA.
Keyword:
Increased ESR, RA monitoring, compliance, chronic patients
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