Shared decision-making improves adherence to mesalamine in ulcerative colitis: A prospective, multicenter, non-interventional cohort study in Germany

Table 1 Demographic and clinical characteristics and their association with self-rated adherence to oral mesalamine therapy at Visit 1, n (%)

Variable	Definition	Percentage	Adherence median (IQR)
Sex	Female	211 (47)	0.5 (2.4)
	Male	235 (53)	0.5 (2.2)
Age	< 40 years	193 (43)	1.0 (2.4)
	≥ 40 years	253 (57)	0.3 (2.0)
Disease duration	Newly diagnosed	167 (38)	0.4 (2.5)
	< 2 years	108 (24)	0.7 (2.0)
	≥ 2 years	171 (38)	0.5 (2.4)
Localization1	Extended	140 (32)	0.4 (1.6)a
	Left-sided	158 (36)	0.9 (3.0)
	Proctitis	144 (32)	0.3 (1.7)

^aP = 0.01.

¹n = 442 due to four patients for whom the localization was not documented.

For sex, age, and disease duration, comparisons were made between two groups using independent sample t-tests; for localization, the comparison was made across three groups using the Kruskal-Wallis H test. IQR: Interquartile range.

Table 2 Objective assessment of patients’ knowledge of ulcerative colitis, n (%)

Questions	Answers1
	Correct	Incorrect/don’t know
Are patients with UC frequently affected by joint pain and skin conditions?	206 (41.1)	295 (58.9)
Do you know which part of your bowel is inflamed?	430 (85.6)	72 (14.4)
Is UC an infectious disease?	501 (99.6)	2 (0.4)
Is UC a mental illness?	474 (94.9)	25 (5.0)
Is the immune system affected in UC?	259 (51.7)	242 (48.3)
Is it useful to treat UC with immunosuppressants?	229 (45.9)	269 (54.1)
Is there a special diet for UC?	399 (79.8)	101 (20.2)
Do patients with UC have a lower risk for colorectal cancer than the general population?	480 (95.6)	22 (4.4)
Is it possible to remove the entire colon without need for a permanent stoma?	120 (24.1)	377 (75.9)

¹Between n = 497 and n = 503 out of 520 patients, depending on the individual question.

UC: Ulcerative colitis.