01898nas a2200265   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001100055653002300066653001200089653001500101653001700116653001500133653001500148653002200163100001600185700001200201245009000213856005900303300001200362490000700374050001900381520121800400022001401618       2001                            d  c2001 Jun10aHumans10aLeprostatic Agents10aleprosy10aMozambique10aPolypharmacy10aPrevalence10aRegistries10aTreatment Refusal1 aGriffiths S1 aReady N00aDefaulting patterns in a provincial leprosy control programme in Northern Mozambique.  uhttp://leprev.ilsl.br/pdfs/2001/v72n2/pdf/v72n2a10.pdf  a199-2050 v72  aGRIFFITHS 20013 a<p>Cohort-based multidrug therapy (MDT) completion rates are used to assess adherence to MDT. However this measure gives no information about when during the treatment period defaulting occurs. Two districts in Cabo Delgado province in Northern Mozambique were selected for evaluation of multibacillary patient defaulter data between 1993 and 1997 to examine when patients default during the treatment penod. In all, 548 (59.2%) of 926 MB patients completed treatment and 378 (40.8%) defaulted between 1993 to 1997. The percentage of defaulters fell steadily from 59.8% in 1993 to 23.2% in 1997. Of the 378 defaulters 57.7% defaulted treatment within 6 months and 83.1% within 1 year of starting treatment. It was observed that patients tend to default early rather than late in the treatment period and that this pattern is maintained over time despite a fall in defaulter rates. Patients established early into a treatment routine were more likely to complete treatment. A comprehensive effort to improve and maintain leprosy control services will probably influence adherence more than any single, specific strategy. Shortening MDT treatment from 2 years to 1 year is unlikely to affect the defaulter rate.</p>  a0305-7518