Factors associated to quality of life in patients with leprosy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate quality of life and associated factors in patients with leprosy. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with 63 people diagnosed as leprosy, seen at a reference service for the disease in the southeastern region of Mato Grosso, Brazil. The questionnaire World Health Organization Quality of Life Bref was used to evaluate quality of life. Simple and multiple linear regressions evaluated the association between sociodemographic variables and quality of life domains. RESULTS: The highest mean of quality of life was observed in the psychological domain (16.28±2.30), and the lowest in the environmental domain (13.86±2.21). Females, individuals with no partners, and people who owned their own house had the lowest quality of life means within the psychological domain. People who did not receive visits by Community Health Workers had the lowest means in quality of life within the environmental domain. Multivariate analysis revealed that the best quality of life was associated to self-reported white skin color within the environmental domain, and the worst quality of life was associated to less schooling within the physical domain. CONCLUSION: This study showed the influence of sociodemographic factors on the quality of life of patients with leprosy, and indicated the need for comprehensive health care, considering the social determinants of health.