Factors associated with non-adherence to polychemotherapy treatment for leprosy.

OBJECTIVES

to identify factors associated with non-adherence to polychemotherapy treatment for leprosy.

METHODS

a cross-sectional study, carried out with cases of abandonment of leprosy treatment in the municipality of Palmas-TO. The cases were identified from the Notification System for Notifiable Diseases, and a questionnaire was subsequently applied.

RESULTS

dropout rates for 2017 and 2018 were 8.3% and 3.12%, respectively. Forty people participated in the study: the majority were women (57.5%), with an average age of 48.2 years, 75% were black/brown, 50% had completed/incomplete elementary education, and 52.5% were retired/unemployed. Factors associated with adherence to leprosy treatment were lack of improvement in symptoms and having the diagnosis ruled out by another physician/not believing they had leprosy.

CONCLUSIONS

the results point to the difficulty in accepting leprosy by cases and the importance of healthcare professionals in health education and adequate leprosy diagnosis.