Awareness of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Adherence to Pulse Cyclophosphamide Therapy Among Patients in A Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Background: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with diverse clinical manifestations, often requiring long-term immunosuppressive therapy for optimal management. Pulse cyclophosphamide therapy is a key treatment strategy, particularly for severe cases such as lupus nephritis, yet adherence remains a significant challenge due to various socio-economic and psychological factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Khwaja Yunus Ali Medical College & Hospital, Sirajganj, Bangladesh from July 2020 to June 2021 among patients diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) who had received pulse cyclophosphamide therapy. A total of 32 patients were recruited using a purposive sampling method. The data collected was entered into Microsoft Excel and analyzed using SPSS software. Result: The study found that most patients (90.6%) were aged 18–40 years, with balanced educational and socio-economic distribution. SLE with associated conditions was the most common diagnosis (31.3%), and 40.6% had incomplete cyclophosphamide therapy, primarily due to financial constraints (38.5%) and fear of side effects (23.1%). While 62.5% were aware of SLE, irregular follow-up (68.7%) was prevalent. Awareness levels influenced treatment adherence, with lower awareness linked to higher discontinuation rates. Conclusion: This study highlights the impact of awareness on adherence to pulse cyclophosphamide therapy in SLE patients, with financial constraints and fear of side effects being major reasons for incomplete treatment.