The Impact of Medication Adherence in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Disabilities

Individuals with disabilities and type 2 diabetes tend to have worse clinical outcomes. To identify modifiable factors that may improve these outcomes, the investigators evaluated the role of medication adherence. A retrospective, cohort study was conducted using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service (K-NHIS) database.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a well-established risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). In recent years, self-care has become a central component of diabetes management, with growing emphasis on medication adherence, physical activity, and lifestyle modifications to reduce CVD risk and improve long-term outcomes. As a result, limited capacity for self-care has been increasingly recognized as a major contributor to health disparities. Approximately 25% of individuals with disabilities have T2DM, and those with physical or mental impairments often face substantial barriers to effective self-management. These challenges-including limited mobility and reduced access to health information-can lead to poor glycemic control and heightened cardiovascular risk. However, most prior studies have primarily focused on describing the elevated risk of CVD in individuals with disabilities. Whether suboptimal medication adherence mediates the association between disability and cardiovascular outcomes remains unclear. Therefore, this study aims to compare medication adherence between patients with and without disabilities and to assess whether differences in adherence contribute to disparities in the incidence of CVD.