Lage therapietrouw levothyroxine in puberteit

Treatment outcome depends largely on treatment adherence (TA). However, studies analyzing TA in chronic endocrine diseases are scarce and controversial in childhood.

Low treatment adherence in pubertal children treated with thyroxin or growth hormone
N Las and T Reinehr

Patients and Methods

Treatment adherence was studied in 97 children treated orally with thyroxin. TA was calculated based on the prescription refill rates.

Results

The correlation between recorded TA and calculated TA based on prescription refill rates was very good. TA was lower in pubertal children compared to prepubertal children and in children self-administering their medication compared to those whose drug was administered by their parents. Overall, 58% of the pubertal children treated with thyroxin missed at least 1 dose per week.

Discussion

Puberty and self-administration of drugs were negative predictors of TA. Therefore, in puberty, prevention and treatment efforts should be undertaken to improve TA, especially when adolescents administer their drugs themselves.