A Major Diabetes Complication That We Fail to Address

[rvmasalvad]

A Major Diabetes Complication That We Fail to Address

Sep 15,2018

Nonadherence to diabetes medications 2nd leading cause of hospitalizations.

Many people who have been diagnosed with diabetes have a disciplined, daily medication routine. To effectively manage diabetes, there must be meticulous long-term monitoring and early treatment of any potential complications, as well as ongoing and careful monitoring of blood glucose levels, blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides. For a person with diabetes to sustain a high quality of life, they must maintain a healthy lifestyle and adhere to their prescription medication regimen, if they have one.

Given the complicated barrage of tests and drugs, it is understandable that people with diabetes do not always remember to take their meds. People undergoing treatment may, for a wide variety of reasons, neglect to take their prescribed medication. This phenomenon, known as drug non-adherence, can be alarmingly dangerous for people with diabetes. Without consistent use of medications as prescribed, people increase their risk of experiencing hyperglycemia and ketone build-up.

Drug non-adherence is an underappreciated issue, but one that affects millions of people. In fact, only 50% of people in developed countries adequately adhere to their medicines, according to a published report from the World Health Organization (WHO). People with diabetes are no exception to this veritable scourge. A 2013 study found that when hospitalizations caused by non-adherence were recorded at four different American hospitals, diabetes was the second leading cause. Only mental illness accounted for more.

Of course, the medical complications resulting from medication non-adherence can be disastrous for people with diabetes. So how can this phenomenon of medication non-adherence be explained? While people with diabetes face a number of challenges with regards to adherence, the primary two are forgetfulness and lack of perceived benefit.

IAM POSTING THIS ARTICLEWITH AVIEW TO DRAW DISCUSSION IN THIS FORUM.

This article is Reviewed by: Joshua J. Neumiller, PharmD, CDE, FAADE, FASCP

Vice-Chair & Allen I. White Distinguished Associate Professor

Department of Pharmacotherapy

College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Washington State University

Please read the full article and offer your comments.

diabetesincontrol.com/a-maj...