Compliance with salicylate therapy in adolescents with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
I. F. Litt and W. R. Cuskey
We compared adolescents' compliance with medical regimens with that of
younger children and identified characteristics of noncompliant
adolescents. Compliance among 82 patients with juvenile rheumatoid
arthritis (JRA) was monitored using serum salicylate levels. Fifty-five
percent of adolescents and 55% of children were found to have good
compliance. Among adolescent patients with JRA, however, the following
factors were associated with salicylate therapy non-compliance: longer
duration of disease (more than six years); earlier age at onset (under 9
years); later time of referral to a subspecialist; shorter duration of
subspecialty clinic care; and fewer clinic visits. Knowledge of these
variables will facilitate development of intervention strategies tailored
to meet the age-specific needs of this population with chronic illness.
