Abstract

Background

The abandonment of tuberculosis (TB) treatment is associated with maintenance of the disease, drug resistance, and morbidity and mortality.

Objective

To evaluate the tendency of TB and identify the risk factors associated with the abandonment of treatment in the city of Sapucaia do Sul in Rio Grande do Sul state, from 2006 to 2012.

Method

This is a case-control study carried out with secondary data reported in the Information System. The case study had the patients who abandoned treatment. The control study had individuals that completed the treatment and were cured. The pairing was performed according to the date of diagnosis of the disease. Four controls were included for each case.

Results

660 cases of TB were reported in the period. The abandonment remained above 5%, with an increase from 2009 on. In the adjusted analysis, age 16 to 29 years (OR = 16.9; 95% CI: 3.78 - 76.0; p <0.001), age 30 to 49 years (OR = 9.9; 95% CI: 2.25 - 43.8; p <0.001), type of entry as relapse after cure (OR = 2.83; 95% CI: 1.30 - 6.14; p <0.01) and drug addiction (OR = 3.94; 95% CI: 1.13 - 13.6; p = 0.03) remained associated with abandonment of treatment.

Conclusion

Young individuals, who had already presented the disease and cured, who used illicit drugs, were those who abandoned treatment.

Keywords:
tuberculosis; patient dropouts; case-control studies