Acompanhamento farmacoterapêutico de pacientes com hanseníase em município hiperendêmico do estado do Maranhão.

Abstract

Leprosy, although curable, requires rigorous treatment with multidrug therapy (MDT) in many cases, with its effectiveness depending on correct drug administration and continuous follow-up. It remains a significant and neglected public health issue, with approximately 200,000 new cases diagnosed annually worldwide, predominantly in tropical countries. In Brazil, leprosy is endemic, with high detection rates, especially in the North and Northeast regions, where incidence and prevalence remain elevated. This study aimed to conduct pharmacotherapeutic follow-up of patients diagnosed with leprosy and evaluate their adherence to treatment. This was a cross-sectional, descriptive, and quantitative study carried out at the Fátima Health Center outpatient clinic, involving 54 patients notified up to August 2024 and followed until December of the same year. Data were collected through medical record review and the application of a pharmacotherapeutic follow-up form during periodic consultations, with pharmaceutical care integrated into the medication dispensing process. Statistical analyses were conducted using Statistica v. 7.0 and SPSS v. 26, with a 5% significance level. The Chi-square test was applied for categorical variables and one-way ANOVA for numerical variables, preceded by Levene’s and Shapiro-Wilk tests to verify assumptions. Tukey or Games-Howell post hoc tests were used depending on variance homogeneity. A statistically significant difference was found in the mean age between patients with multibacillary and paucibacillary leprosy (p = 0.00124). No significant associations were observed between sex and the clinical variables analyzed, including presence of comorbidities, treatment adherence, therapeutic response, and occurrence of adverse reactions. The findings suggest that the multibacillary form tends to affect older individuals, emphasizing the need for public health strategies focused on early detection and proper treatment of leprosy. This highlights the importance of continuous pharmacotherapeutic follow-up as a model to be implemented in all health centers, with the active participation of pharmacists in multidisciplinary teams to optimize treatment adherence and improve leprosy cure outcomes.