How cutaneous leishmaniasis and treatment impacts in the patients’ lives: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Until now, few studies have evaluated the effect of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) on patients' quality of life, and none have used a specific instrument to measure this effect. The objective of this study was to identify factors that may be associated with the high impact of CL and to assess patients’ satisfaction with treatment and health services by utilizing a disease-specific questionnaire. METHODOLOGY: Between December 2015 and May 2017, 100 patients with localized cutaneous leishmaniasis were interviewed at a leishmaniasis referral center in Brazil. Data were collected by two questionnaires. One questionnaire compiled the sociodemographic, economic, and clinical information related to the disease. The second questionnaire was the Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Impact Questionnaire (CLIQ), which consisted of two subscales that measured 1) the general impact of CL and 2) patients’ perceptions of treatment and health services. The median scores from each of these two subscales were used to dichotomize the dependent variables. Risk factors for the high impact of CL and for low patient satisfaction with treatment and health services were analyzed with a logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The chance of higher impact of CL was increased in patients with the presence of comorbidities (OR: 3.9; CI 1.25–12.36), in those with absences from work (OR: 12.0; CI 3.78–42.55), in those who relied on public transportation by a municipal bus (OR: 5.8; CI 1.27–26.77), and in those who had illness-related expenses greater than U$137 (OR: 3.5; CI 1.17–10.24). The chance of patient dissatisfaction with treatment and health services increased with higher education (OR: 5.0; CI 1.19–21.03) and with illness-related expenses exceeding U$137 (OR: 4.64; CI 1.49–14.48). Once the sample was non-probabilistic, findings are not representative of CL patients in general. CONCLUSIONS: CL and its treatment have a negative impact on patients’ quality of life. Considering these effects during public health planning may help patients to confront the disease.