Effect of Medicine Adherence on the Occurrence of Cerebrovascular Disorders in Diabetes Mellitus Patients

OBJECTIVES To assess the association between the occurrence of cerebrovascular disorders and a medication adherence in diabetes mellitus patients. METHODS Medical records from 1,114 new patients with diabetes mellitus were collected and the occurrence of cerebrovascular disorders was observed. Data was gathered from the health examination records of diabetes mellitus patients registered at the Korean Metabolic Syndrome Research from 1996 to 2005, medication records from the National Health Insurance Corporation and death data from the National Statistics Office from 1997 to 2007. Hazard ratios were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazard model to test the association between the occurrence of cerebrovascular disorders and the level of medication adherence. Medication adherence was calculated using Continuous measure of Medication Acquisition (CMA). RESULTS Of 1,114 diabetes mellitus patients, cerebrovascular disorders occurred in 67 cases (6.1%). The mean duration for the development of a cerebrovascular disorder was 3.82 yr. Medication adherence (≥0.8 vs. <0.5: HR, 3.26; 95% CI, 1.47-7.21, ≥0.8 vs. 0.5-0.7 HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.33-2.95) was an independent factor associated with the occurrence of cerebrovascular disorders in diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSION Increased medication adherence is necessary to prevent the occurrence of cerebrovascular disorders in diabetes mellitus patients. Furthermore we propose that CMA be considered as a method for monitoring medication adherence in clinics.