title: [Traditional treatments in an endemic area of american cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Peru].
abstract: In order to know the first-choice treatment by villagers of an endemic area of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) prior to medical attention in a health care center, a cross sectional study was realized in Pichupampa town. A census was made in order to collect demographic data and previous history of CL. 254 participants were surveyed. 41.7% (106/254) of the village had CL at least once in their lives and only half of them went to a health center to seek for primary care. 76/106 (71.7%) used some traditional treatment as their first choice and only 23.6% (25/106) subjects went to a health-care center without manipulation of their lesions. It's evident that a high percentage (71.7%) of people potentially infected by CL manipulate and treat their lesions with traditional treatments prior to professional health-care, actions that could interfere with the diagnosis and effectiveness of the program implemented by the Health Ministry.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pineda-Reyes
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Llanos-Cuentas
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dancuart
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D006801:Humans; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D010568:Peru; D011320:Primary Health Care