October 3, 2019

Hydroxychlorine is one of the most common treatments for lupus.  But a new study published in The Journal of Rheumatology looked at why about half of people with lupus do not take hydroxychlorine as prescribed by their healthcare provider.

The study looked at 1956 lupus patients 18 years or older being treated at Kaiser Permanente Northern California and other centers who had been given at least two prescriptions for hydroxychlorine.  Researchers used electronic medical records and census data to determine the percentage of patients who had adhered to their prescribed treatment.

Results showed that only 58% of patients took their prescription at least 80% of the time.  Older white people were more likely to comply than patients younger than 40. Those who saw their rheumatologist at least three times during the year were also more likely to take their medication as prescribed than those who had not visited the doctor more than once.  Socioeconomics, the rheumatologist and the medical center providing care were not factors that predicted compliance.

Researchers concluded that “differences in adherence by race/ethnicity suggest the possibility of using tailored interventions to increase adherence.”