TABLE 3.
Patient Adherence to Current Off-Label Corticosteroid Treatments in Adolescents (Caregiver-Reported) and Adults (Self‑Reported) With EoE.
| Survey question | Adolescents* (n=98) | Adults (n=103) |
|---|---|---|
| Over the past 7 days, did you [your child] at any time forget to take or choose not to take [insert name of treatment] to treat your [his/her] EoE? Please select all that apply. | ||
| Yes, I [he/she] forgot to take my [his/her] treatment | 37 (37.8) | 40 (38.8) |
| Yes, I [he/she] chose not to take my [his/her] treatment | 9 (9.2) | 16 (15.5) |
| No, I [he/she] took my [his/her] treatment every day over the past 7 days | 55 (56.1) | 53 (51.5) |
| Over the past 7 days, how many days did you [your child] forget or choose not to take your [his/her] treatment? | ||
| n | 43 | 50 |
| Number of days, mean (SD) | 2.0 (1.5) | 2.3 (1.6) |
| Proportion of days, % | 28.6 | 32.9 |
| Why did you [your child] choose not to take [insert name of treatment] to treat your [his/her] EoE over the past 7 days? Please select all that apply.† | ||
| n | 9 | 16 |
| [My child thinks the] The medicine tastes bad | 5 (55.6) | 0 (0.0) |
| I [My child] felt depressed/overwhelmed | 4 (44.4) | 5 (31.3) |
| My [His/her] EoE symptoms have not been bothersome | 3 (33.3) | 4 (25.0) |
| I [He/she] felt okay, so I did not think it was necessary to take the medicine daily | 3 (33.3) | 3 (18.8) |
| I have difficulty taking it [giving it to my child] at the specific time I am [he/she is] supposed to take it | 1 (11.1) | 5 (31.3) |
| I [He/she] experienced side effects from the medicine | 2 (22.2) | 3 (18.8) |
| I [He/she] had too many other pills/medications to take | 1 (11.1) | 3 (18.8) |
| It is not effective at controlling my [my child’s] EoE symptoms | 0 (0.0) | 2 (12.5) |
| The medicine is expensive | 0 (0.0) | 2 (12.5) |
| The medicine is difficult or inconvenient to get from the pharmacy in a timely manner | 0 (0.0) | 2 (12.5) |
| I did not have the medicine available (eg, away from home, on vacation) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (12.5) |
| I [My child] just needed a break | 1 (11.1) | 2 (12.5) |
| Other | 3 (33.3) | 3 (18.8) |
Data are presented as n (%) unless otherwise specified. Corticosteroid treatment adherence was assessed using the MGL-4; data presented are responses to items from the MGL-4.
*
Minor changes to the wording of the MGL-4 were made for the adolescent survey to apply to a caregiver’s perspective; all differences in wording are shown in square brackets.
†
Included only participants who reported that they/their child chose not to take the medication.
EoE indicates eosinophilic esophagitis; MGL-4, 4-item Morisky Green Levine Medication Adherence Scale.