title: Pulmonary tuberculosis treatment regimen recommended by the Brazilian National Ministry of Health: predictors of treatment noncompliance in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the predictors of noncompliance with the pulmonary tuberculosis treatment regimen recommended by the Brazilian National Ministry of Health, in previously treatment-naïve patients with active tuberculosis treated in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a case-control study involving six referral primary health care clinics for tuberculosis in Porto Alegre. We reviewed the medical charts of all previously treatment-naïve patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis who were noncompliant with the treatment between 2004 and 2006. Those were paired with other patients having similar characteristics and having been cured. We conducted univariate and multivariate analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 2,098 patients included, 218 (10.4%) became noncompliant with the treatment. In the multivariate analysis, the factors most strongly associated with treatment noncompliance were being an alcoholic (with or without concomitant use of illicit drugs), being HIV-infected, not residing with family members, and having a low level of education. In the univariate analysis, treatment noncompliance was also significantly associated with being younger and with being non-White. Gender was not significantly associated with treatment noncompliance; nor was the occurrence of adverse effects of the drugs included in the regimen.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the population studied, being an alcoholic, being HIV-infected, and not residing with family members were the major predictors of noncompliance with treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis among previously treatment-naïve patients.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program in Pulmonology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil. simoneac28@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Simone Teresinha Aloise
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Campani
authors.forename: José da Silva
authors.initials: Jda S
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: Carlos Nunes
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Tietbohel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006077:Government Agencies; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009313:National Health Programs; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology