Open AccessCompliance with antituberculosis drugs among tuberculosis patients in Alexandria, Egypt
Author(s) -
Ashry Gad,
Ahmed Mandil,
Aida Sherif,
Zahira M. Gad,
Sunny Sallam
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
eastern mediterranean health journal/eastern mediterranean health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.442
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1687-1634
pISSN - 1020-3397
DOI - 10.26719/1997.3.2.244
Subject(s) - medicine , tuberculosis , regimen , disease , drug , directly observed therapy , history of tuberculosis , intensive care medicine , compliance (psychology) , pediatrics , pharmacology , pathology , psychology , social psychology
Tuberculosis is an important reemerging disease with increasing global morbidity and mortality. Tuberculosis control is hindered by patient noncompliance with treatment regimens. To study compliance to antituberculosis drug regimens, 172 patients diagnosed with tuberculosis during the first three months of 1995 were investigated. The patients were interviewed at their homes during July and August 1995. More than one-third [34.9%] of the patients were not adhering to the antituberculosis drug regimen. Factors increasing drug compliance included:disease symptoms, knowledge about the disease, family history of tuberculosis and hospitalization. More information about the disease and the importance of compliance should be provided to tuberculosis patients at the time of diagnosis and initiation of therapy. Supervision of drug administration by health care personnel is stressed