1. Introduction
IBD, chronic inflammatory bowel disease, infections, UC
INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES, MINOR, INFECTIONS, CHRONIC DISEASES, ADVERSE EFFECTS, ULCERATIVE COLITIS
Low adherence to drug treatment has been identified as a serious public health problem with a magnitude ranging from 15% to 93% for patients with chronic diseases, with an estimated average of 50%, depending on the method applied, characterized as an "invisible epidemic" [Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that requires continuous drug treatment for its control, therefore, the lack of adherence constitutes a barrier to the achievement of therapeutic goals [Nieuwlaat In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared a pandemic, bringing with it several direct and indirect consequences. A systematic review investigated the impact on medication adherence with oral and biological medications for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) in this period. Major or minor impacts on adherence to treatment were identified for patients with IBD according to geographic regions. In addition, the result may have varied as a result of what each study considered as low or high adherence and the methods for measuring it. The results point to the following reasons for non-adherence: concern of patients and the health team regarding the safety of the treatment (risk of infections and adverse effects) and difficulties in accessing health services and medication due to social distancing and lockdown [The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of an intervention program on adherence rates and QoL in patients with UC who do not adhere to drug treatment.