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Prevalence and characteristics of noncompliant behaviour and its risk factors in kidney transplant recipients.

Rosenberger J, Geckova AM, van Dijk JP, Nagyova I, Roland R, van den Heuvel WJ, Groothoff JW

Transplantation Department, University Hospital of L. Pasteur, Kosice, Slovak Republic. rosenberger_jaro@hotmail.com

Noncompliance with therapy is one possible explanation for the observation that long-term graft survival is not sufficiently improved by the development in immunosuppression. The aim of the study was to explore the prevalence, characteristics and risk factors of noncompliance with immunosuppression. A total of 161 adult kidney transplant recipients were interviewed about their self-rated health, social support, education, stress from adverse effects and compliance with the immunosuppression. The prevalence of subclinical noncompliance was 54%. Noncompliant patients declared significantly worse self-rated health, less satisfaction with social support and higher stress from adverse effects. Male gender (OR 7.5, CI 2.4-23.39), high stress from adverse effects (OR 12.27, CI 2.44-61.88), fair self-rated health (OR 4.45, CI 1.04-19.55) and fair satisfaction with social support (OR 4.55, CI 1.08-19.24) were predictors of noncompliance. Standardized detection methods should be developed with the aim of identifying patients who are at risk of noncompliance in order to prevent graft loss.

Published 16 August 2005 in Transpl Int, 18(9): 1072-8.
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