REAL-WORLD data has revealed that medication adherence in patients with Behçet’s syndrome is generally satisfactory, although younger patients appear more likely to report suboptimal adherence to their treatment regimens, according to data from a tertiary referral cohort published recently.
Researchers in Italy conducted a monocentric cross-sectional study of 125 patients with Behçet’s syndrome followed at a tertiary referral centre. Adherence was assessed using the validated 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8), with patients classified as having high (score 8), intermediate (score 6 to less than 8), or low adherence (score below 6). Disease activity was evaluated using the Behçet’s Disease Current Activity Form and the Behçet’s Disease Activity Index, and associations between adherence and clinical variables were analysed using Spearman correlation and non-parametric tests.
The mean MMAS-8 score was 6.82±1.32. High adherence was observed in 29.6% of patients, intermediate adherence in 48.8%, and low adherence in 21.6%. Although most patients demonstrated intermediate or high adherence, more than one in five were classified as having low adherence, highlighting an opportunity for targeted interventions. Lower adherence was more frequent among patients in the lower age quartiles. No significant associations were observed between adherence and sex, disease duration, disease activity indices, or treatment class.
These findings have confirmed, in a Behçet’s syndrome-specific real-world setting, previously reported associations between age and medication adherence observed in other chronic diseases. As this was a cross-sectional study conducted at a single centre with a relatively small sample, causality cannot be established and the findings may not generalise to all patients with Behçet’s syndrome. The authors have suggested that routine adherence assessment may help identify patients at higher risk of poor treatment compliance, supporting the case for more personalised, age-informed Behçet’s syndrome management strategies going forward.
Reference
Talarico R et al. Medication adherence in Behçet’s syndrome: real-world data from a tertiary referral cohort. RMD Open. 2026;12:e006982.
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