Adherence to Therapy in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis—Review

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, autoimmune, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). MS is an incurable disease. The goal of disease-modifying therapies (DMT) is to slow the progression of the disease, prevent relapses and increase the patient’s overall quality of life. According to the World Health Organisation definition, adherence means the extent to which a person’s medication-taking behaviour corresponds with the agreed upon treatment recommendations from a healthcare provider. Accurate adherence is necessary for efficient treatment. Non-adherence is related to unsuccessful treatments, the risk of relapses and increased healthcare costs. The aim of this study is to present the main factors relating to non-adherence in MS patients.