Am J Health-Syst Pharm
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Chisholm-Burns, M. A.
Right arrow Articles by Spivey, C. A.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Chisholm-Burns, M. A.
Right arrow Articles by Spivey, C. A.
American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, Vol. 65, Issue 13, 1242-1247
Copyright © 2008. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved. 1079-2082/04/0602-1242$06.00

Clinical Reports

Nonmodifiable characteristics associated with nonadherence to immunosuppressant therapy in renal transplant recipients

 Marie A. Chisholm-Burns, W. Jaqueline Kwong, Laura L. Mulloy and Christina A. Spivey

MARIE A. CHISHOLM-BURNS, PHARM.D., MPH, FCCP, FASHP, is Professor and Department Head, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy (UACP), Tucson. W. JAQUELINE KWONG, PHARM.D., PH.D., is Director, Worldwide Health Economics and Pricing, Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceutical Services, Raritan, NJ. LAURA L. MULLOY, D.O., FACP, is Professor of Medicine and Chief, Section of Nephrology, Hypertension and Transplantation Medicine, Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine, Augusta. CHRISTINA A. SPIVEY, PH.D., is Research Coordinator, UACP.

Address correspondence to Dr. Chisholm-Burns at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, 1295 N. Martin Avenue, P.O. Box 21202, Tucson, AZ 85721 (chisholm{at}pharmacy.arizona.edu).


Purpose. Relationships between adherence to immunosuppressant therapy and adult renal transplant recipients’ age, time posttransplant, race, and sex were evaluated to identify factors that predict nonadherence.

Methods. Pharmacy refill data were used to measure adherence. In a primary analysis, stepwise regression was used to assess the relationship between independent variables (age, sex, time posttransplant, and race) and adherence. In a secondary analysis to provide categorical summaries, stepwise regression was used to assess the relationship between independent variables (age quartiles, sex, time posttransplant quartiles, and race) and adherence.

Results. In the primary analysis, age and time posttransplant were significant predictors of adherence rate (p < 0.05), with adherence rate decreasing as age and time posttransplant increased. In the secondary analysis, age quartile 4 (≥60 years) and time posttransplant quartile 1 (≤4 years) were significant predictors of adherence (p < 0.01), with adherence rates lower among age quartile 4 and higher among posttransplant quartile 1.

Conclusion. In patients who had received renal transplants, the rate of adherence to immunosuppressant therapy decreased as patient age and time since transplantation increased.

Index terms: Age; Compliance; Immunosuppressive agents; Patients; Race; Sex; Transplantation

 





HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2008 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.