Assessment of factors affecting treatment adherence in patients with chronic kidney disease in Nigeria: A survey from a tertiary health-care centre

Abstract

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a growing global public health problem with the poorest populations being at the highest risk. Strict adherence to treatment has been found to reduce and may halt progression to end-stage kidney disease. Unfortunately, no data on this is available in this clime. The study was carried out to evaluate factors associated with treatment adherence in patients with CKD attending Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Patients, Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 124 previously diagnosed CKD patients being managed at the nephrology unit of Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, data were collected to evaluate the factors affecting treatment adherence in these patients. Results: The mean age of participants was 50.47 ± 13.7 years. Majority were male 71 (57.3%), married 84 (67.7%), employed 71 (57.3%), Christians 85 (68.5%), and had tertiary education 92 (74.1%). More than half of the population (57%) adhered to the prescribed treatment. However, the majority (69%) of the study population also practiced alternative treatment. Major reasons for nonadherence included alternative medications (69%), forgetfulness 30 (24.2%), high cost of medication 28 (22.6%), high pill burden 28 (22.6%), and being tired of drugs (22%). Conclusion: There is an appreciable level of adherence to treatment among our study population mainly affected by high education and income levels with being gainfully employed. However, a lot more needs to be done to further improve compliance through continuous counseling, reduced pill burden, and lowering the cost of treatment.