title: [The specific features of an attitude of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis towards disease].
abstract: The attitude of a patient with tuberculosis to his/her disease has not been described in the literature. The purpose of the study was to explore the attitude of a tuberculosis patient towards his/her disease. A hundred Samara dwellers (62 males and 38 females) aged 22 to 56 years who had pulmonary tuberculosis and were receiving a course of inpatient therapy were examined. Of them there were 50 patients with infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis and 50 with fibrocavernous tuberculosis. The duration of the disease was 2 to 5 years. To study the attitude of a patient with pulmonary tuberculosis towards his/her disease, the authors developed a special questionnaire comprising 23 statements, which was based on the respondent's acceptance or denial of certain statements (innovation No. 511 by the Samara Military Medical Institute). Positive and negative replies were statistically processed by the generally recognized procedures. The findings indicated that tuberculosis worsened the relations of a patient with his/her relatives and associates, actually restricted contacts, lowered the social position, living standards, made him/her need for financial support, narrowed the range of interests, and drastically impaired the plans for future life. Patients with tuberculosis commonly develop social phobia. To overcome the latter, it is necessary to make a differential social correction. More than half the patients with newly diagnosed tuberculosis and only a third of chronic tuberculosis patients make sure of that they will be able to recover; half the patients want to give up smoking; virtually all patients consider the prescribed treatment to be effective; however, it satisfies just more than the half of them. To improve patient compliance and interaction with medical staff, it is necessary to correct the emotional status and alleviate depressive reactions. The attitude of patients with tuberculosis towards their disease is destructive and it is to be corrected.
authors.forename: E V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Sukhova
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Sukhov
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Kornev
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003710:Demography; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*