Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the relationship between drug adherence in hypothyroidism patients and cognitive functions in the western region of Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among hypothyroidism patients in the western region of Saudi Arabia, from June to August 2022. A self-administered online questionnaire was used to collect data and was distributed electronically. The questionnaire consisted of three parts. The first one was related to demographics; the second was the Modified Morisky Adherence Scale, and the third was cognitive functions assessed by the abbreviated 14-item Cognitive Failure Questionnaire
Results: A total of 440 participants met the inclusion criteria and completed the survey. The results showed an association between cognitive function and drug adherence, which means that increase in the cognitive function failure score was associated with a moderate decrease in the drug adherence score. In addition, age was discovered to be the only predictor of both drug adherence and cognitive function change.
Conclusion: This study revealed that the mean score of drug adherence was low while the mean score in cognitive functions showed cognitive function failure among participants.

Key words: Hypothyroidism, drug adherence, levothyroxine, cognitive function.